South African world 800m champion Caster Semenya was cleared on Tuesday to compete as a woman nearly a year after controversial gender tests put her career on hold.
Semenya, 19, has not run competitively since undergoing tests at the Berlin world championships in August last year.
“I am thrilled to enter the global athletics arena once again and look forward to competing with all the disputes behind me,” Semenya said in a statement released by her lawyers.
Athletics South Africa (ASA) said it was in contact with her coach to find out if Semenya could be included in the country’s squad to compete in the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) world junior championships in Canada this month.
ASA spokesman Richard Stander said the national governing body would conduct fitness tests on her in the next day to see if she was ready to compete.
“Caster has been a role model all along,” Stander told reporters. “[We] will do everything in our power to assist her and her coach to go and participate wherever she would like to prepare for the international event.”
The IAAF said it accepted the findings of an expert medical panel.
“The IAAF accepts the conclusion of a panel of medical experts that she can compete with immediate effect,” the sport’s ruling body said in a statement.
Lawyers acting for Semenya said the decision to allow her to compete came after a “landmark settlement” between the IAAF and the athlete.
Semenya’s lawyer Greg Nott said details of the settlement would remain confidential.
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