Victory to Caster Semenya in the women's 800 metres final in Rio

Victory to Caster Semenya in the women's 800 metres final in Rio is set to ignite further debate about her participation in the sport, while the remarkable Mo Farah repeated his distance double from the London Games four years ago.

Key points:

South African team officials have gone to great lengths to protect Semenya over hyperandrogenism suggestions
Her gold medal win met with warm cheers from crowd
GB's Mo Farah first person in 40 years to win 5,000 and 10,000m at two consecutive Olympics

Farah launched a sprint finish to capture the 5,000m gold medal and add the win to his 10,000m crown, but much of the focus on the last night of track events in Rio centred on Semenya.

The South African scored a clear victory in a personal best and national record of 1 minute and 55.28 seconds, having used her powerful kick to run away from the field inside the final 150 metres.

Francine Niyonsaba of Burundi was a distant second in 1:56.49 and Kenya's Margaret Wambui was third in 1:56.89.

It has been suggested Semenya has the condition hyperandrogenism, which causes elevated levels of testosterone.

Her presence in female competition has been a contentious issue for the IAAF ever since she won the 800m at the Berlin world titles in 2009 as an 18-year-old.

The IAAF implemented regulations designed to cap testosterone levels in female athletes in 2011, but that move was later suspended by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Whatever public stance is taken on Semenya, who was a silver medallist in the 800m at the London Olympics, it is worth acknowledging she has been forced to cope with an almighty emotional burden in the build-up to Rio and at the Games themselves.

She has attracted unwanted attention from the media scrutiny surrounding her participation in Rio, and South African team officials have gone to great lengths to protect the 25-year-old.

There have been unconfirmed reports Semenya had been under armed guard because of fears of physical violence from supporters of rival athletes but the concerns seemed unfounded, as the Olympic Stadium applauded her triumph.

They also greeted Semenya with a warm cheer when she later accepted her gold medal at the podium ceremony.