GB athlete admits it's 'difficult' to race Semenya

Cape Town - Great British athlete, Lynsey Sharp, was reduced to tears when asked about multiple intersex athletes competing, after Caster Semenya won the 800m Olympic final on Saturday (Sunday morning in SA).

Sharp managed a personal best with a time of 1:57.69 but finished sixth in the final.

Upset after her failure to secure her country a medal, she told BBC Sport after the race that she felt emotional about the situation: “I have tried to avoid the issue all year. You can see how emotional it all was. We know how each other feels.”

The 26-year-old continued to say that although it’s out of her control, she would expect those at the top, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) presumably to sort it out.

“It is out of our control and how much we rely on people at the top sorting it out. The public can see how difficult it is with the change of rule but all we can do is give it our best.

“I was coming down the home straight, we were not far away and you can see how close it is. That is encouraging. We will work hard and aim to come back even stronger.”

Semenya has become the face of the debate over whether women with much higher levels of testosterone than normal should be allowed to compete.

READ:  Chased by controversy: A timeline of Caster Semenya's career

In 2009, Semenya was suspended for 11 months by the IAAF.

A few hours prior to the 800m final, the IAAF President Sebastian Coe said that they will go back to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in an attempt to have the testosterone-limiting rules reinstated.

Sharp faced some backlash on social media from South Africans over her comments:

Dear Lynsey Sharp,

You can't be mediocre your whole life.
Be better.

Sincerely yours,
South Africa????

(See below) pic.twitter.com/G2U4v6VccT

— Maps Maponyane (@MapsMaponyane) August 21, 2016

#LynseySharp your elevated levels of privilege are showing. If only there was an injection to suppress that. #CasterSemenya

— Faster Semenya (@Sisonkemsimang) August 22, 2016

Good sportsmanship doesn't mean you're okay with losing. It just means you respect the fact that someone was better on the day. #LynseySharp

— Courtnall Skosan (@Skosan14) August 21, 2016

Dear @LynseySharp! You most certainly not deserving of a gold medal on the track, but deserve nothing but gold for your ignorance &stupidity

— Janez Vermeiren (@Janez_Vermeiren) August 21, 2016

#LynseySharp 's coach right now be like, "You'll never find inner peace...work harder!" #?? pic.twitter.com/oYfpAFb8im

— Katlego Maboe (@KatlegoMaboe) August 21, 2016