It is August 2009 in Berlin, Germany, at the finals of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships. 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. During the interview with us, she remembers what former South African President, the late Nelson Mandela, once told her when they met.

Source: The North Africa Journal December 28, 2018 09:56 UTC