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RIO DE JANEIRO -- As Caster Semenya stood on the Olympic medal podium, the gold around her neck, the South African anthem playing, one was reminded of another opinion-changing person from her country: Nelson Mandela.Semenya doesnt have the anti-apartheid leaders oratory gifts. But like the father of modern South Africa who died in 2013, she is teaching the world -- not just sport, but the wider world that is moved by it -- about tolerance, about courage and about judging people not by how they look, but by what they do, how they do it and how they conduct themselves.Semenya does that by running. Running beautifully.Semenyas story shouldnt be any more complex than a celebration of the athleticism she displayed in winning the 800 meters at the Rio Games.But, of course, it is complex.This would usually the place for a paragraph about gender, about testosterone, about fairness or otherwise, about science and pseudo-science and plain old BS. In short, a paragraph that could not even begin to do justice to the injustice, the questions, the whispers, the doubts, the finger-pointing, the name-calling and Byzantine cruelty that Semenya has had to wade through since she announced herself to the world by winning the 800-meter world title as an 18-year-old in 2009.If, at this point, you dont know what were talking about, then lucky you, because it hasnt been pretty. Look it up, if you must.The short version is this: Like Mandela, she has risen above it all. Her dignity, like his, is both her shield and her weapon. He forced white South Africans to look at themselves. Eventually, they could no longer stomach what they saw. Semenya, too, has become a mirror: Those who judge her only by her looks, who have called her a half-man, or whatever, will eventually get sick of their own ugliness, their lack of compassion and basic humanity. Like Mandela, she has had to learn how to tune hatred out.Were not here to talk about some speculations, Semenya said. Its not about looking at people, how they look, how they speak, how they run. Its not about being muscular. Its all about sports.Perhaps the best bit about her Olympic gold was how it seemed, almost immediately, to bring her out of her shell. She has, understandably, always run from excruciatingly personal and intrusive questions about whether she was born with internal testes, no uterus and has high levels of testosterone -- in short, absurd questions about matters that are nobodys business but her own.But she isnt running any more. In Semenya, sport long thought it had a problem. But in the belly of Rios Olympic Stadium, sports instead got a new leader who preaches unity where, for too long in her case, there has been nothing but discord.Here I am, she told a large group of reporters, after avoiding questions all week. I just want to be the best I can be.You just need to lead by example, she added. Maybe, if people they just unite, it can be a great world.Amen to that.Slowly, Semenya seems to be winning over her rivals, too. They have mostly learned to keep their thoughts to themselves about whether their sport needs rules to somehow dial back the competitive advantage they perceive women like Semenya to have. Some of them arent happy. Semenyas winning time of 1 minute, 55.28 seconds was one of the top 20 times ever in the two-lap race. Rivals predicted that she would blow away the field. And she did. Burundis Francine Niyonsaba was more than one second behind in 1:56.49 for silver and Kenyas Margaret Wambui ran 1:56.89 for bronze.But this night, Semenyas night, was neither the time nor place for rivals to get into the debate about the need or otherwise for testosterone-limiting rules. That will soon be back in the hands of the Court of Arbitration for Sport. It suspended the rules last year, judging that they were based on uncertain science. The International Association of Athletics Federations will be going back to the CAS in the next year to try to change its mind.Bottom-line: Semenya broke no rules.But is she breaking barriers.She said one of the first things she wanted to do was call her wife, Violet.I still have to make a long call, obviously, my wife is waiting, she said.After all Semenya has been through, the freedom she expressed on and off the Olympic track felt like a message to the world.All it must do now is listen.---John Leicester is an international sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jleicesterap.org or follow him at http://twitter.com/johnleicester . See his work at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/john-leicester---John Leicester is an international sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jleicesterap.org or follow him at http://twitter.com/johnleicester . 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Rousey will put her perfect 8-0 record and hardware on the line against another undefeated fighter, 7-0 Sara McMann in the main event of UFC 170, which will be held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas Nevada on February 22nd.BROOKLYN, N.Y. -- Junior captain Rhamat Alhassan had a special day for the No. 8 Gators, who racked up their fourth straight sweep this season against the Denver Pioneers (25-17, 25-20, 25-11) in the opening match of the Blackbird Invitational Saturday. Alhassan hit an error-free .789 with 15 kills and added five blocks for a team-high 18 points.Thanks to serving runs from Allie Gregory, Chanelle Hargreaves and Allie Monserez, Florida separated from the Pioneers in the first with an 11-3 run that gave the Gators control for the 25-17 set win. UF opened the second with a 5-0 lead under Alex Holstons serve and entered the locker room up 2-0 at the break with the 25-20 second-set win. The third was all Gators, wo worked to a 24-9 advantage before the Pioneers fended off match point twice until junior outside Carli Snyder slammed down one of her 111 kills and 13 points for match point.ddddddddddddIn addition to Alhassans season-best clip, Saturdays match allowed redshirt junior Shainah Joseph to get her feet wet after treating an injury the past two weeks -- and that she did, slamming down set point in the first frame. Freshman middle blocker Rachael Kramer had an impressive showing in the third set, slamming down two monster kills and posting three roofs in the final frame.Freshman Allie Gregory dropped over a career high two service aces, Florida had just two reception errors and hit .437 as a team, its second-best efficiency of the season so far.The Orange and Blue will wrap up the Blackbird Invitational Sunday with a noon match against host LIU Brooklyn. ' ' '