South Africa's world champion athlete Caster Semenya declined to speak about the order for her to undergo gender tests, instead praised her coach as she addressed reporters alongside President Jacob Zuma.
"I called my coach and my coach told me 'you can do it, man'," she said. "You lead from start to finish. You can do it, girl," she added, recalling her coach's comments.
"I took a lead in the last 400 and I killed them. They couldn't follow the race. It was good man. I saw gold at the last 200."
The comments were the first time that the 18-year-old has spoken about her gold medal at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin last week, where she powered to a 1minute 55.45seconds win in the 800 metres - the world's best this year.
Shortly before the race, world athletics governing body, the IAAF, announced that Semenya would undergo tests to verify her gender, sparking an outcry in South Africa and feeding a debate about what makes a woman a woman.
Athletics South Africa again denied criticism that it failed to prevent the global controversy by quashing any doubts about her gender ahead of the competition.
"Athletics South Africa, we did not have any information that people are doubting," ASA president Leonard Chuene told journalists.
South Africans have rallied behind Semenya in a national show of support. Her arrival was broadcast live on television, while police made special traffic arrangements around the airport to accommodate the crowds.
Women wearing brightly coloured traditional dress typical of her region in rural Limpopo province blew horns and waved South African flags as she entered the airport.
Semenya arrived along with fellow gold medalist Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, long jump silver medalist Khotso Mokoena, who will later meet President Jacob Zuma in Pretoria, where the athletes will parade through the streets.
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