Egypt

Considering suicide after being stripped of her medal and shunned by the people around her, Indian runner Santhi Soundarajan knows a bit about what Caster Semenya is going through. Soundarajan failed a gender test after finishing second in the women's 800-metre race at the 2006 Asian Games and was forced to return her silver medal.Semenya, the 800 world champion from South Africa who has been going through the same type of test to prove she is eligible to compete as a woman, is facing an uncertain future. "I pray that Semenya does not go through what I've been through, it almost drove me to committing suicide,'' Soundarajan, now 28, said from her southern Indian hometown. "I've suffered immensely due to the stigma of the failed gender test.'' Soundarajan, who came from a poor family, was forced to drop out of competitive athletics after she failed the gender test, and finding a job and earning enough money to eat then became a daily struggle. Semen...

Caster Semenya will not be stripped of her World Championships 800m gold medal whatever the outcome of her gender test results, BBC Sport understands. The testing process is unlikely to be concluded for two weeks but the IAAF - the governing body of world athletics - says Semenya can keep her medal. The 18-year-old South African was asked to take the test following her rapid rise to prominence in 2009. News of it was made public hours before she took gold in Berlin in August. Despite the leak, the teenager left her rivals trailing to win in a time of one minute, 55.45 seconds. Defending champion Janeth Jepkosgei of Kenya was second, a massive 2.45 seconds adrift, with Britain's Jenny Meadows taking bronze. The International Association of Athletics Federations says it demanded Semenya take a gender test before the World Championships amid fears she should not be able to run as a woman. Following the findings of initial tests, the IAAF then asked the South Africans to withdraw her f...

Caster Semenya's controversial medal Friday 28 August 2009 After her stunning gold medal at the 800 metres at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin, the South African athlete Caster Semenya returned home as national icon. However questions about her gender mount overseas. South African sport officials are planning Caster Semenya’s future in athletics, despite waiting for a final report from the International Association of Athletics Federations which will determine the disputed gender of the 800 metre world champion. The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) has said Semenya is a big part of their plans for the 2012 Olympics. The committee’s chairperson, Gideon Sam, has called for calm minds while the IAAF conducts gender verification tests on the new champion. The IAAF World Athletics Championships in Berlin have made 18-year-old Semenya more than a controversial sports figure: she’s become a national icon in South Africa. But her homecoming ...

Nationality: Jamaican Date of birth:21 August 1986 (1986-08-21) (age 23) [1] Place of birth: Trelawny , Jamaica [2] Height:1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) [3] Weight:86 kg (190 lb; 13.5 st Competitor for Jamaica Men's athletics Olympic Games Gold 2008 Beijing 100 m Gold 2008 Beijing 200 m Gold 2008 Beijing 4 × 100 m relay World Championships Gold 2009 Berlin 100 m Gold 2009 Berlin 200 m Gold 2009 Berlin 4 × 100 m relay Silver 2007 Osaka 200 m Silver 2007 Osaka 4 × 100 m relay World Junior Championships Gold 2002 Kingston 200 mSilver 2002 Kingston 4 × 100 m relaySilver 2002 Kingston 4 × 400 m relay World Youth Championships Gold 2003 Sherbrooke 200 m

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8213421.stm

In Caster Semenya's remote home village of Masehlong in northern South Africa, people have no doubt about the gender of the new 800m world champion. The first comment came before we had got out of the car. "Caster's a woman," a middle-aged lady called out with a smile. "We know it here," she continued. Several thousand people live here - but with the action from Berlin only available on satellite television, the residents have been cramming into a handful of lucky houses to see Ms Semenya run. "I've no doubt about what I see. It's my girl," local councillor Alphius Makogobe Mpati recounts with a twinkle in his eye. "We are so proud of her here." Dorcus Semenya: "It's my girl... I gave birth to that girl" The compound Ms Semenya shares with her parents, brother and five sisters is on the main dirt street. Her family also produced her birth certificate, which unambiguously classifies her as female. Success has come qui...

2118: "Nein nein nein nein" Raul Spank cries out. The German fails his leap as the men's high jump final gets super-tasty. It's down to four. Yaroslav Rybakov, Kyriakos Ioannou and Sylwester Bednarek also in the hunt for medals. Lot of screaming. Very noisy event this. And the crowd are loving it. Could go mental if Spank does something special in a minute. They're attempting 2.35m. Rybakov will win if nobody gets any higher. From Emily in Bristol via text on 81111: "why do they compete in sunglasses when it's dark?! are the floodlights really that bright?!" 2111:NEWSFLASH: The US 4x100m relay team have been disqualified for stepping out of their lane, according to Hazel Irvine as the live TV coverage goes. Red button and website video still running. And I'm not leaving you until the last person in Berlin turns the lights out. More on this soon. Allyson Felix, 200m champion: "I knew I was very strong and was able to power away. I wanted to r...

New world 800m champion Caster Semenya has been asked to take a gender test, according to athletics' governing body. The International Association of Athletics Federations says it demanded the test three weeks ago amid fears she should not be able to run as a woman. IAAF spokesman Nick Davies said the "extremely complex, difficult" test results were not due for several weeks. The South African athletics federation insists it is "completely sure" that Semenya, 18, is a female. "We would not have entered her in the female competition if we had any doubts," said a statement. Semenya won gold in impressive fashion on Wednesday, leaving her rivals trailing as she won in a time of one minute, 55.45 seconds. Defending champion Janeth Jepkosgei was second, a massive 2.45 seconds adrift, with Britain's Jenny Meadows taking bronze. Semenya did not attend a post-race news conference following her success, but IAAF secretary general Pierre Weiss did appear bef...