By Ken Borland
JOHANNESBURG Aug 14 (Reuters) – Olympic silver medallist
Caster Semenya has defended herself against allegations that she
did not try to win the 800 metres at the London Games on
Saturday.
The South African who was forced to undergo gender testing
after her 2009 world championships triumph, started poorly in
the final, sitting at the back of the field until she produced a
late burst to finish second to Mariya Savinova, 1.04 seconds
behind the Russian.
Her performance led to speculation by television pundit
Colin Jackson, three times the 110m hurdles world champion, that
Semenya had deliberately avoided winning so as not to stir up
fresh controversy like that in 2009.
“I tried my best, whatever people say. There is always talk
but these people know nothing about athletics,” Semenya said at
Johannesburg airport on Tuesday, where she received a heroine’s
welcome.
South Africa’s sports minister Fikile Mbalula praised
Semenya, a shy 21-year-old from an obscure rural village in
South Africa’s northernmost province of Limpopo, as an
inspiration to all those coming from similarly modest
upbringings.
“I don’t know about her strategy in the race but she has
made us very proud. Nobody gave her a chance but she showed the
greatest guts of a young African woman,” Mbalula said while
choking back tears.
“She has toiled out of difficulty to become a symbol of
greatness and has shown that it doesn’t matter where you come
from. From her small village in Limpopo, where the people are
full of poverty, she has become the symbol of a courageous young
woman.”
Semenya, who clocked one minute 57.23 seconds in the final,
said she was satisfied with a silver medal but would be looking
to go one better in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
“I am happy with silver but it was hard work. I said to
myself that I must get something from the race and I saw that
the other ladies were tired. I had to pull out my turbo-boost,”
she smiled.
“I’m concentrating now on next year, the world championships
in Moscow, that is my main focus. The Olympics are still four
years away and we learn by mistakes so hopefully I can do better
next time and win the Olympics.”
(Editing by Clare Fallon)
