Caster Semenya to run final 800m race before IAAF’s testosterone rule is enforced
The double Olympic champion is at a crossroads: either she submits to the regulations or looks to compete in longer distances
Double Olympic champion Caster Semenya will run her last 800m on Friday before the International Association of Athletics Federations imposes hugely controversial new rules limiting testosterone in female athletes. Semenya, who has spent years trying to get the new IAAF regulations thrown out, will compete at the Diamond League meeting in Doha against 2016 Olympic silver medalist Francine Niyonsaba — who recently disclosed she had similar difference in sexual development (DSD) characteristics to the Semenya. Both must then begin taking medication to lower their testosterone levels if they wish to compete over that distance based on the new rules, which the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said on Wednesday were necessary to ensure fair competition. IAAF president Sebastian Coe, speaking in Doha on Thursday, said he was grateful to CAS for the verdict. "It is very straightforward for any association in sport," Coe told a media briefing. "Athletics has two classifications — it has...
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