Double Olympic 800m champion Caster Semenya has won her final race over the distance before controversial new IAAF testosterone regulations come into place.
South African Semenya had her appeal against the measures, which place an upper limit on testosterone levels in female athletes, rejected by the Court of Arbitration for Sport this week.
Following that verdict, the 28-year-old took up a late entry in the women’s 800m event at Friday night’s Diamond League fixture in Doha, Qatar, the final elite meeting before the new restrictions come into place on 8 May.
Unbeaten in more than three years over the two lap distance, Semenya extended her winning run to 30 races with victory over a high class field in a time of 1:54:98.
The Cas verdict means athletes with differences of sexual development (DSD) like Semenya will have to take medication to reduce their testosterone levels if they are to compete in events between 400m and a mile.
Alternatively, the three-time world champion could step up in distance to focus on the 5000m, an event in which she won the South African national title last month.
