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Semenya back to train harder

Helsinki - South African world champion Caster Semenya says she wants to train harder before the next step on her comeback trail after an 11-month absence caused by a gender controversy.

Semenya crowned her comeback week on Sunday with an easy victory in the 800m, clocking 2min 02.42sec in her favoured event at the Lapinlahti meet.

That was almost two seconds faster than the time she set in her first outing since her lengthy break three days earlier.

The 19-year-old champion said: "I am very pleased with my performance. I got what I was looking for, but next time I want to run the first 600m faster, in 1:28 or 1:29.

"This wasn't easier than in Lappeenranta (last Thursday), as I had to push hard to the wind in the second lap.

A smiling Semenya completed a lap of honour after her win, knowing the hard work still lies ahead with Sunday's time a long way off her world title winning run of 1min 55.45sec in Berlin in 2009.

She added: "I don't know where my next race will take place. Now I'll fly back home and start to train harder."

On Sunday Semenya was too good for second-placed Sofia Oberg of Sweden, who timed 2min 04.27sec and Russia's Anna Verkhovskaya, who came third in 2min 04.41sec.

She had returned to action at Lappeenrenta on Thursday, a deliberate low-profile choice aimed at keeping as many of the international media as possible off the scent.

She won that race in 2min 04.22sec.

On Sunday, she faced a more challenging task with three runners in the field having already gone faster than that Thursday time this season.

Semenya was given the green light to run again last week, after a review of gender-verification tests by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

She hopes to take part in two or three races in Europe between the end of August and the start of September to finalise her preparations for the Commonwealth Games in India in October.

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