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Semenya marks return to track with easy win

Caster Semenya beat a modest field to mark her return to the track with a win © Getty Images

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World champion Caster Semenya marked her eagerly anticipated return to the track with a comfortable win in the 800m on Thursday night in Finland.

The 19-year-old, who was forced to undergo gender verification tests last year, was some way below her best but ultimately did enough to beat a modest field in a time of 2min 4.22sec at the Elite Athletic Games in Lappeenranta.

The South African's mark was way off the time she recorded when she won the 800m gold medal in Berlin 11 months ago in 1:55.45 but she was merely happy to be back running.

"To come and run a 2:04 is not easy, especially after what happened," Semenya said. "I was a little bit nervous because it has been a long time not competing. It's a new beginning."

Semenya got off to a solid start and it wasn't long before she chased down her competition before storming away on the home straight. Mari Jarvenpaa of Finland finished second in 2:04.71 ahead of Olha Yekymenko in third.

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) gave Semenya the all-clear to return to action last week, putting to bed the uproar over her gender - which had started as a result of her incredible showing in Berlin.

Despite it taking 11 months to resolve the situation, Semenya refused to condemn the IAAF.

"Maybe it was good for me to rest after I ran my fastest time last year," she said. "I'm still young, the muscles are still developing, so yeah, I can run faster than that."

Her next run out is at the Lapinlahti Games on Sunday and then she will return to training in South Africa - where her aim will be to get in peak condition to be in gold medal contention at October's Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.