By Lebogang Seale
"She looked at me straight in the eye and then she kissed and hugged me. As we embraced each other, I asked her if she was okay and she said 'I am well, but worried about you, Mama'."
This is how Dorcus Semenya, the mother of new South African heroine Caster Semenya, described her encounter with her daughter after she had touched down at OR Tambo International on Tueday.
And as mother and daughter appeared from the international arrivals area side by side, flanked by other athletes and officials from Athletics South Africa, Dorcus - like Caster - was moved to tears by the rapturous welcome and support awaiting them.
Continues Below ↓
"It was frightening seeing all those many people. I couldn't believe Mokgadi (Caster) was among the athletes," she said, moments after ANC Youth League President Julius Malema had announced a R60 000 gift for Caster.
And having won the gold medal at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin, Caster is guaranteed hundreds of thousands of rands in sponsorships and endorsements.
Amid controversy about her gender, Semenya was giddy yesterday as she recounted how she knew she would win her event at the world championships.
"I took the lead at 400 metres and I killed them, they couldn't follow. I celebrated the last 200 because I knew, man," she told journalists in Pretoria after meeting President Jacob Zuma.
Semenya won the race in 1:55.45, the world's best time this year.
She appeared shy and introverted during the press conference but came out of her shell when asked to describe her win.
"It was pretty good to win a gold medal and bring it home. For the first time in my life, the experience, man, the world championships, seniors, I couldn't believe it."
Her Kenyan competitor's fall in an earlier race, which nearly brought her down too, had distracted her, but in the semifinals her coach told her: "You know, girl, you can do it.
Continues...
|
StumbleUpon
Reddit
Digg
Delicious
Newsvine
Facebook
muti
Twitter
