Silver lining for Semenya in return

DAEGU, South Korea // With a shiny silver medal hanging around her neck, Caster Semenya is already looking forward to another meeting with Nelson Mandela.

The South African runner, who won the 800 metres at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, finished second Sunday after sitting out nearly an entire year as she was engulfed in a gender controversy.

"I was doing this for him," Semenya said of the first freely elected South African president.

"He is a very good man and gave me good advice.

"He said 'Just toughen up and face the world'. I have to go visit him again, now. When I get back home, I will go straight to him."

The 20-year-old South African sat back in the pack for the first lap but then moved into the lead with about 200 metres to go.

After she made the turn into the home straight, however, Mariya Savinova of Russia took over.

Savinova ended up winning the race, and the gold medal, in 1min, 55.87secs.

Semenya crossed in 1:56.35 and Janeth Jepkosgei, the 2007 world champion of Kenya, finished third in 1:57.42.l.

"I achieved what I wanted, which was to get back to the podium," Semenya said.

Rule not discussed: Diack

The IAAF has no plans to change its stringent false start rule for next year's London Olympics, despite the disqualification of Usain Bolt in the 100 metres at the World Championships.

Lamine Diack, the IAAF president, said no one at Sunday's council meeting asked for the rule to be reconsidered and said it will still be there next year.

After Bolt's disqualification last Sunday, critics called the zero-tolerance false start regulation of "one error and you are out" cruel and counterproductive since it eliminated the sport's only superstar from its showpiece event.

"We will not come back to the issue of the false start," Diack said. Bolt himself said it was a lesson for him and did not demand a change, a point Diack gladly pointed out.

Bolt blamed an anxiety attack.

"I'm not going to say it should be changed," Bolt said after winning the 200m on Saturday. "It has taught me a lesson - focus and stay in the blocks. My coach has been telling me this for months. The guy with the gun gives the command, and we should listen and not anticipate the gun and I've learnt from that and wish to move on from that."

Taylor springs surprise

Christian Taylor of the United States shocked Phillips Idowu, the defending champion, to win the men's triple jump title in a thrilling competition.

The 21 year old cleared a best of 17.96 metres with his fourth attempt.

Idowu, of Britain, took silver (17.77m), with another American, Will Claye, claiming bronze (17.50m). The 32-year-old Briton, his face littered in piercings, had managed a leap of 17.56m on his first effort and bettered that to 17.70m and then his final 17.77m on his third and fourth attempts.

Taylor took the lead when his fourth hop, skip and jump took him out to just shy of the 18-metre barrier, beyond which only three men have jumped.

"This has been such a journey," said Taylor. "I'm happy with the results. I had a lot of fun. I'm a competitor and I turned on the switch in the fourth round, and I knew it when I jumped. I knew I had to get to where I am."

Kenya earn a one-two

Abel Kirui, the defending champion, won the men's marathon, leading Kenya to a one-two finish.

Kirui, who set a championship record two years ago in Berlin, won the race in 2hrs, 7mins, 38secs to claim Kenya's seventh gold medal.

Kenyan teammate Vincent Kipruto came in second, finishing in 2:10:06. Feyisa Lilesa of Ethiopia took third in 2:10:32.

"This is history," Kirui said. "It is also good [for] the country. It is good for my family. It is great."

The one-two finish follows Kenya's sweep of the women's marathon and 10,000m on the opening day. They also took gold and silver in the men's 1,500m.

Jeter leads US to gold

The United States won the women's 4x100m relay, with 100m gold medallist Carmelita Jeter holding off Jamaica's Veronica Campbell-Brown, who was closing fast, on the final leg to finish in 41.56 seconds.

Jamaica were second in 41.70 and Ukraine took bronze in 42.51.

Lysenko a champion

Tatyana Lysenko of Russia won the women's hammer with a throw of 77.13 metres.

Betty Heidler of Germany, the 2007 champion, won her second successive silver medal with a toss of 76.06m, and Zhang Wenxiu of China took bronze with 75.03m.

Yipsi Moreno, the two-time world champion of Cuba, was fourth with a throw of 74.48m.

Anita Wlodarczyk, the defending champion of Poland, finished fifth with a throw of 73.56m.