Caster Semenya calls for athletes’ rights to be put first as court rules in her favour

Caster Semenya sits in the European court of human rights before its decision over sex eligibility rules in sports. Photograph: Antonin Utz/AP

The South African runner Caster Semenya has called for athletes’ rights to be better protected after Europe’s top human rights court ruled that she had not been given a fair trial when she contested a policy that required her to lower her testosterone levels in order to compete in women’s sport.

The decision, handed down on Thursday by the European court of human rights, was the latest twist in the two-time Olympic gold medallist’s extraordinary legal battle.