Caster Semenya

Semenya burst onto the scene by winning the gold medal in the 800 meters at the 2009 world championships as a teenager in a blistering time of 1:55.45 before a gender test controversy sidelined her for 11 months. The IAAF cleared her to return in July 2010, but a nagging back injury forced her to miss the Commonwealth Games. Her relationship with then-coach Michael Seme broke down just before the 2011 worlds, but she still managed to earn silver in the 800. Semenya's dedication, determination and hard work paid off in April, when she qualified for the 800 at the London Games by running faster than the qualifying time of 1:59.90 for the second time. She did it in 1:59.58 in a provincial meet on her home track at the University of Pretoria in South Africa in her third race under new mentor and former Olympic 800-meter champion Maria Mutola.