Olympic gold medalist Caster Semenya joins professional soccer team

Caster Semenya, the two-time Olympic gold medalist in the women's 800 meters, will embark on a "new journey" after announcing that she's joined a South African soccer team.

Semenya revealed on Twitter that she's joined JVW Football Club for the 2020 season.

The 28-year-old has been locked in a legal battle over a regulation introduced by the International Association of Athletics Federations to limit testosterone levels. She's currently appealing against the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which upheld track's governing body's ruling.

Under the new regulation, Semenya will be unable to defend her 800m world title later this year in Doha, Qatar without taking hormone-suppressing drugs to reduce her testosterone levels.

While the future of her athletics career is uncertain, Semenya will take on a new competitive challenge as she prepares to make her professional soccer debut.

"I am grateful for this opportunity and I appreciate the love and support I already get from the team," Semenya told the club's website. "I am looking forward to this new journey, and hopefully I can contribute as much as I can to the club."

The JVW Football Club was unable to register her for the current season because the league's transfer window is currently closed. The club announced that she'll train with the first team in preparation for the 2020 campaign.

Although she hasn't played the sport professionally, a statement on the club's website claims that Semenya played soccer at school.