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South Africans to watch in Rio: Caster Semenya

Cape Town - The time is now for Caster Semenya, who is looking more and more like Team South Africa's trump card at Rio 2016.

SOUTH AFRICANS TO WATCH IN RIO: ANASO JOBODWANA

SOUTH AFRICANS TO WATCH IN RIO: CHAD LE CLOS

She arrived on the international stage in 2009 in a massive way when she won gold in the 800m at the IAAF World Championships in Berlin as an 18-year-old. 

The controversy that followed was not the reward she deserved for what should have been the most positive of stories. 

The next two were difficult for Semenya as she was initially not allowed to compete until the findings of her 2009 gender test were released. 

Upon return, Semenya finished second at the World Champs in 2011 and then second at the Olympics in London in 2012. 

While those returns will always be welcomed by South Africans, they did not match the expectation that was immediately associated with Semenya when she burst onto the scene back in 2009. 

But going into Rio, she appears to be at her best. 

British marathon great Paula Radcliffe went as far as to say that so great was Semenya's dominance in the 800m that her winning in Rio would not be sport.

Try telling that to the South African public. 

Semenya represents our biggest hope at gold - even more so than Chad le Clos - and she will undoubtedly have the backing of the entire country. 

Semenya is also believed to be targeting the 400m in Rio and, given the form she is in currently, it wouldn't be a surprise to see her in the medals there too.

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