Caster Semenya received a formal apology from the South African Athletics Federation (ASA) for the handling of her gender verification tests.

South Africa’s top athletics official said Saturday a gender test was done on Caster Semenya before the World Athletics Championships in Berlin last month, and apologised for earlier denying knowledge of the test.

Winnie Mandela, former wife of Nelson Mandela and current parliamentary of South Africa’s ruling party because of the controversy over Caster Semenya´s sex, said “She is a sports ‘heroin’ and an ‘innocent victim’.”

Just as South African athlete Caster Semenya debuted her glamorous new look for her country’s You Magazine, she was also in the headlines regarding her “gender test” and the impact the results will have on her gold medal.

More than a thousand people packed the airport’s arrival hall waiting for the 18-year-old that South Africans have dubbed the “golden girl”.

Facing questions about her gender, South African teenager Caster Semenya easily won the 800-meter gold medal Wednesday at the world championships. (VIDEO AVAILABLE)