800m world champion Caster Semenya finally got to run a race for the first time since her world championship run in Berlin 11 months ago. It was in a small Finnish town 135 miles (220 kilometers) east of Helsinki at the Lappeenranta Games.She won it in 2:04.22 - not even close to the 1:55.45 she clocked while taking the gold at the IAAF World Championships, but Semenya was happy with it.
"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," she added.
Her next race is at the Lapinlahti Games on Sunday before she heads back to South Africa to continue training. There's a possibility she may compete in the African Championships in Nairobi, Kenya in two weeks, but she's working toward being in championship form for the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India this October.
