South African runner
Caster Semenya is being asked to prove that she is indeed a
woman after twice clocking the fastest time this year -- the
latest of which came in the 800-meter final at the
International Association of Athletics Federations World
Championships in Berlin.
Semenya, 18, has been
asked to take a gender verification test to prove that she is a
woman, according to
TheDaily Guardian.
Nick Davies, a spokesman for the IAAF, said that the test was
requested after a race last month when she ran the fastest
800-meter time (before the games in Berlin) at the African
junior championships.
The test, which takes
several weeks to produce an outcome, includes several
"complex procedures" involving doctors, scientists,
gynecologists, and psychologists. Davies said he is not sure
whether she would be stripped of her medal if the test results
show that Semenya is biologically male.
The teen from Limpopo
province had never raced outside of Africa before the IAAF
World Championships this year.
On Wednesday, she won
the race in 1 minute, 55.45 seconds. Defending champion Janeth
Jepkosgei, from Kenya, crossed the finish line 2.45 seconds
after. Jenny Meadows, a British runner, came in third.
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