Daniels, who was the country's high-performance high coordinator, has also personally apologised to 18-year-old Semenya because of the way he and Athletics South Africa (ASA) had handled the gender-testing debacle.
 

He said: "I'm so sorry for the part I played; because of my negligence she went through all that.

"I am so sorry we let you down."
 
Daniels said Semenya was tested for her gender after she came back from winning the African Junior Championships in Mauritius in July but he and she both believed it was a normal drugs test, Daniels said.

Daniels said: "I am not happy.

"I'm not pointing fingers at anybody because I am part of the collective responsibility and blame.

"We did not handle Caster properly.

"The handling of the issue was atrocious."
 

Daniels, who had been the team manager at the World Championships in Berlin, admitted that the ASA did not advise Semenya properly, and when the story broke, they did not brief her on what was happening.
 
Daniels claimed that when he spoke to Semenya to tell her that he was resigning she told him that she did not blame him.

He said: "She is an intelligent young woman and carries herself in such a dignified manner.

"I wish I was as mature as her when I was 18 years old."

Daniels claims the situation is similar to the row involving Mozambique's Maria Mutola when she first emerged as a world-class 800m in the 1990s and doubts were initially cast over her gender.

She overcame them and went on to become arguably the most successful female two-lap runner in the history of the sport, winning the Olympic gold medal in 2000, the World Championship on three occasions, the Commonwealth Games twice and the World Indoor Championships seven times. 
 

He said: "I was there.

"I saw what Maria went though: having to hear all the rumour-mongering and innuendo.

"Now almost the same thing is happening to Caster 20 years later.

"I had been through it before, I should have handled it better."
 

But Daniels also claimed that the world governing body, the International Association of Athletics Federations, had to accept most of the responsibility for what had happened.

He said: "She has been on the world scene for two years already and there was no issue.

"Now all of a sudden, when she wins a World Championship, they sit up and take notice."

The contoversy over Semenya, which has made her an international figure, has overshadowed South Africa's most successful performance at the World Championships for six years.

They won three medals in Berlin, including two gold - Mbulaeni Mulaudzi claimed the men's 800m - which was their best return since the 2003 event in Paris.

Leonard Chuene, the President of the ASA, whose handling of the situation, has also been the subject of much debate in South Africa, refused to comment for the reason behind Daniels departure.

He said: "He has resigned - like anyone else resigning as far as I'm concerned.

"If he has a story, then he must tell it."

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected].


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