Runner Semenya Glams Up As Mag's Cover Girl

NAIROBI, Kenya Sept. 9, 2009— -- Caster Semenya, the South African runner undergoing tests to prove whether she's female, was all woman on the cover of a South African magazine.

YOU magazine gave Semenya a glamorous makeover, putting the 18-year-old 800 meter world champion runner in a dress, heels and make-up. She also models a low-cut sequined top and silver leggings.

"I'd like to dress up more often and wear dresses, but I never get the chance," she tells the magazine. "I'd also like to learn to do my own make-up."

The magazine feature comes just weeks after the International Association of Athletics Federation's world championships in Berlin where Semenya's muscular build, deep voice and tremendous speed caused the organization to ask South African authorities to perform a gender verification test.

Final results of the test are not expected for a few more weeks, but there are reports that preliminary results show her testosterone level to be three times that of a normal woman.

The news of the test was leaked just before Semenya ran the 800-meter race. After handily winning she told reporters, "When I'm racing, I'm thinking about my own race. I'm not thinking about anybody."

South Africans have been outraged at Semenya's treatment by the IAAF and the media. Thousands of South Africans greeted her when she returned home, carrying signs with the slogan "Our 1st Lady of Sport."

South African President Jacob Zuma also spoke out on the controversy, denouncing the way the IAAF handled Semenya's gender test.

"It is one thing to seek to ascertain whether or not an athlete has an unfair advantage over others, but it is another to publicly humiliate an honest, professional and competent athlete," Zuma told reporters.