It is August 2009 in Berlin, Germany, at the finals of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships. It’s the 800 meters race; among the eight female runners is 18-year-old South African Caster Semenya, in a yellow track top and green shorts. Holding the South African flag, she runs a few meters in a lap of honor. She had bested the senior and junior South African records held by South African female athletes Zelda Pretorius and Zola Pieterse, popularly known as Zola Budd. Despite the controversy with the IAAF, Semenya had been dubbed a hero by many for the way she handled the situation.

Source: The North Africa Journal December 27, 2018 07:07 UTC