South African Medalist Undergoing Gender Verification
South African runner Caster Semenya's victory in the women's 800-meter event at the World Athletics Championships in Germany with a time of 1 minute, 55.45 seconds may be a little bittersweet.
Three weeks ago, the International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF) requested a gender confirmation test on Semenya after she ran the 800m on the island of Mauritius in 1 minute, 56.72 seconds a time faster than her personal best by a full 7 seconds, the New York Daily News reports.
The gender verification exam is an intricate process that will take a few weeks to produce results.
According to CNN.com, the most infamous case of gender uncertainty involves Polish runner Stella Walsh. Walsh won the gold in the 100-yard dash at the 1932 Olympics and the silver in 1936. After being killed in an armed robbery in 1980, an autopsy of Walsh revealed that she possessed both male and female anatomy.
Kenyan Janeth Jepkosgei placed second, earning the silver, and Briton Jennifer Meadows won the bronze.
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