Gold Coast – South Africa’s Caster Semenya shrugged off controversy over her right to compete after completing a Commonwealth Games double with victory in the women’s 800 metres on Friday.

The 27-year-old, who identifies as a woman but has elevated testosterone levels, dedicated her gold medal to the late Winnie Mandela after her crushing win.

Elsewhere on the Gold Coast, English tabloid darling Tom Daley captured diving gold before weighing in on gay rights, while 15-year-old shooter Anish Bhanwala became India’s youngest ever Commonwealth champion.

At the athletics, England’s Katarina Johnson-Thompson won heptathlon gold, but New Zealand’s Valerie Adams failed to take a fourth straight shot put crown, the mighty Kiwi settling for silver.

Semenya, who won the 1 500m title earlier this week, smashed her rivals once again to clock a Games record of one minute, 56.68 seconds.

After the race, she revealed how anti-apartheid hero Mandela, who died two weeks ago after a long illness, had helped her through adversity.

“She was a friend and always told me to be myself, to love myself – don’t listen to the noise, don’t entertain nonsense,” said Semenya. “To just go out and show the world what I can do.”

Semenya left Kenya’s Margaret Nyairera Wambui for dead coming off the final bend to win with plenty to spare as Jamaica’s Natoya Goule took bronze.

However, questions persist over whether Semenya should be allowed to compete because of her hyperandrogenism, which some feel gives her an unfair advantage.

“I understand how to handle emotions, how to handle negativity and turn it into positivity,” said the world champion.

“I’ve had to learn how to manage it myself, how to face the world. It’s not about what other people think of me, it’s about how I think of myself.”

Johnson-Thompson secured the second leg of what she hopes will be a golden treble.

Cape Town – South Africa’s Luvo Manyonga soared to the gold medal in the men’s long jump at the Commonwealth Games on Australia’s Gold Coast on Wednesday.

Manyonga, who won the silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics and the gold medal at last year’s IAAF World Championships in London, won with his final round leap of 8.41m, which was a new Commonwealth Games record.

Australia’s Henry Frayne (8.33m) was a surprise second, ahead of another South African, Ruswahl Samaai, in third (8.22m).

Augusta – American Patrick Reed held off epic final round Masters charges by compatriots Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler to capture his first major title, firing a one-under par 71 on Sunday for a one-stroke victory.

The 27-year-old US Ryder Cup firebrand outduelled three-time major champion Spieth and Fowler, who birdied six of the last 11 holes, in an emotional back-nine drama that sparked roars and thrills at Augusta National.

Reed, who had never cracked 70 in 12 Masters rounds until this week, became the fourth straight first-time Masters winner and the ninth first-time major winner in the past 10 such events, the only exception Spieth’s British Open win last year.

“It’s almost impossible to put into words,” Reed said.

In addition to the iconic winner’s green jacket, Reed won $1.98 million from an $11 million purse.

Reed, whose breakthrough came in his 17th major start, finished on 15-under 273 with Fowler second on 274 after a closing 67 and Spieth third on 275 after matching the low final round in Masters history with an eight-under 64.

“I started nine back,” said Spieth, who would have made the greatest comeback in Masters history had he won.

“I wanted to shoot a low round and see what happens, if something crazy happens.”

Fowler sank a 7-foot birdie putt on 18 to pull within one and keep Reed under pressure to the 72nd hole.

“We gave our all out there and made P-Reed earn it,” Fowler said.

“I was happy to make that last putt.”

Needing a two-putt par from 25 feet at 18 to win the title, Reed ran his first putt four feet past the cup then sank the comeback effort and pumped his fist in celebration.

Reed fended off last-pair partner Rory McIlroy on the front nine until the Northern Ireland star faded to a 74, sharing fifth on 279 with his dream of a Masters win for a career Grand Slam foiled again.

Reed’s approach at the par-5 13th clung to a bank above Rae’s Creek, his title bid nestled with it, but he escaped with par to stay deadlocked with Spieth for the lead at 14-under.

Reed sank an eight-foot birdie putt at the par-4 14th to regain a one-stroke lead.

Spieth clipped a tree branch off the 18th tee and needed three to reach the green, where he missed an 8-foot par putt to match the 18-hole course record and settled for closing with his lone bogey.

Spieth became only the seventh player to shoot 64 in the last round of the Masters, the first since Bo Van Pelt in 2012.

On the front nine, Reed answered two bogeys with two birdies on the front nine to make the turn where he began at 14-under while Spieth started his charge with a 5-under 31 on the front nine, closing with his longest birdie putt from 12 feet.

Spieth surged on the back nine starting with a 27-foot birdie putt at the par-3 12th, the same hole where he endured a quadruple-bogey 7 meltdown in 2016 that cost him the lead and his back-to-back Masters bid.

A tap-in birdie at 13 was followed by a six-foot birdie at 15 and a 33-foot stunner at the par-3 16th to spark a tremendous roar.

American Charley Hoffman aced the par-3 16th with a 6-iron, the 20th time the hole has surrendered a hole-in-one.

And his playing partner, compatriot Tony Finau, birdied six consecutive holes from the 12th to 17th but missed a 10-footer at 18 that would have tied the Masters record birdie streak.

World number one Dustin Johnson fired a 69 to share 10th on 281 and retain his rankings lead. Spieth, Rahm or Justin Thomas could have overtaken him by winning, Thomas firing a 73 to finish on 284 and foil his chance.

England’s Paul Casey flirted with a course record 63 before closing with back-to-back bogeys in a 65.

Webb Simpson, the 2012 US Open winner, made back-to-back eagles at the seventh and par-5 eighth.

Tiger Woods, playing his first major event since 2015 in a comeback from nagging back pain and spinal fusion surgery, fired a 69, his week’s low round.

“It was possibly the highest score I could have shot today,” Woods said.

“All in all it was a bittersweet ending.”

The 14-time major champion sank a 29-foot eagle putt at the par-5 15th and birdied 17 but a closing bogey denied his goal of level par overall.

Woods, a four-time Masters champion, failed to deliver on promise showed in two top-5 tune-up finishes but said he was glad to be back.

“I really missed it,” Woods said.

“I made too many bogeys. I made too many mistakes. But overall it was a lot of fun. It felt great to be able to compete again.”

Final round scores on Sunday from the 82nd Masters at par-72 Augusta National Golf Club:

273 – Patrick Reed (USA) 69-66-67-71

274 – Rickie Fowler (USA) 70-72-65-67

275 – Jordan Spieth (USA) 66-74-71-64

277 – Jon Rahm (ESP) 75-68-65-69

279 – Cameron Smith (AUS) 71-72-70-66, Bubba Watson (USA) 73-69-68-69, Henrik Stenson (SWE) 69-70-70-70, Rory McIlroy (NIR) 69-71-65-74

280 – Marc Leishman (AUS) 70-67-73-70

281 – Tony Finau (USA) 68-74-73-66, Dustin Johnson (USA) 73-68-71-69

282 – Charley Hoffman 69-73-73-67, Justin Rose (ENG) 72-70-71-69, Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) 71-71-71-69

283 – Paul Casey (ENG) 74-75-69-65, Russell Henley (USA) 73-72-71-67

284 – Justin Thomas (USA) 74-67-70-73, Tommy Fleetwood (ENG) 72-72-66-74

285 – Hideki Matsuyama (JPN) 73-71-72-69

286 – Webb Simpson (USA) 76-73-70-67, Francesco Molinari (ITA) 72-74-70-70, Jimmy Walker (USA) 73-71-71-71, Jason Day (AUS) 75-71-69-71

287 – Branden Grace (RSA) 73-73-74-67, Adam Hadwin (CAN) 69-75-72-71, Kim Si-woo (KOR) 75-73-68-71, Bernd Wiesberger (AUT) 70-73-72-72

288 – Ryan Moore (USA) 74-72-72-70, Satoshi Kodaira (JPN) 71-74-71-72, Kevin Kisner (USA) 72-75-69-72, Matt Kuchar (USA) 68-75-72-73

289 – Tiger Woods (USA) 73-75-72-69, Adam Scott (AUS) 75-73-70-71, Daniel Berger (USA) 73-74-71-71, Li Haotong (CHN) 69-76-72-72

290 – Phil Mickelson (USA) 70-79-74-67, Zach Johnson (USA) 70-74-74-72

291 – Bryson DeChambeau (USA) 74-74-72-71, Rafael Cabrera Bello (ESP) 69-76-74-72, Bernhard Langer (GER) 74-74-71-72, Fred Couples (USA) 72-74-73-72, Jhonattan Vegas (VEN) 77-69-72-73, Matthew Fitzpatrick (ENG) 75-74-67-75

292 – Ian Poulter (ENG) 74-75-74-69, Brian Harman (USA) 73-74-76-69, Kiradech Aphibarnrat (THA) 79-70-72-71, Tyrrell Hatton (ENG) 74-75-73-70

294 – Martin Kaymer (GER) 74-73-74

295 – Vijay Singh (FIJ) 71-74-79-71

296 – a-Doug Ghim (USA) 72-76-74-74, Xander Schauffele (USA) 71-78-72-75

297 – Kyle Stanley (USA) 72-74-75-76 

298 – Chez Reavie (USA) 76-71-75-76

Factfile on Patrick Reed, who on Sunday won the 82nd Masters golf tournament:

Born: August 5, 1990

Age: 27

Birthplace: San Antonio, Texas, USA

Residence: Spring, Texas, USA

Turned Professional: 2011

World Ranking: 24

PGA Tour Wins: 6 (2013 Wyndham Championship, 2014 Humana Challenge, 2014 WGC Cadillac Championship, 2015 Tournament of Champions, 2016 Barclays Classic, 2018 Masters)

Major victories: 1 (2018 Masters)

List of the past 10 winners of the Masters after Patrick Reed’s victory at Augusta National on Sunday:

2018: Patrick Reed (USA)

2017: Sergio Garcia (ESP)

2016: Danny Willett (ENG)

2015: Jordan Spieth (USA)

2014: Bubba Watson (USA)

2013: Adam Scott (AUS)

2012: Bubba Watson (USA)

2011: Charl Schwartzel (RSA)

2010: Phil Mickelson (USA)

2009: Angel Cabrera (ARG)

The clinching putt.

Congratulations to @PReedGolf, 2018 #themasters Champion. pic.twitter.com/zEkWleSeRK

— Masters Tournament (@TheMasters) April 8, 2018

Cape Town – Mark Alexander was on Friday re-elected in his role as president of SA Rugby.

Alexander, who first became SA Rugby president in October 2016, retained the presidency with “an absolute majority” at the rugby governing body’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in Cape Town.

In a two-horse race, Alexander defeated Andre May from the Leopards for the position.

Francois Davids also retained his position as deputy president.

SA Rugby president is Mark Alexander and Deputy President Francois Davids pic.twitter.com/hp7Kxgo3RQ

— South African Rugby (@Springboks) April 6, 2018

Cape Town – So that’s it … that great unticked box, now duly, dazzlingly ticked.

Do not underestimate for one second the significance of South Africa’s ultimately crushing, 3-1 Test series triumph over Australia – sealed on Tuesday in a crazy blur of cheap, primarily Vernon Philander-orchestrated scalps.

Just as importantly, how many hard-to-please, frankly ungenerous Proteas-watchers really feel that there was something “hollow” about the series victory, taking into account the unfortunately limelight-stealing sideshows over the last few weeks?

No, most South Africans will realise the team warrant basking quite genuinely and fulsomely in this success, pretty content in the knowledge that Faf du Plessis and his passion-driven company had placed their noses powerfully in front by the time the Aussie ball-tampering scandal exploded.

Indeed, is it any coincidence that the major flashpoint came at the very time when Australia were starting to show tangible signs of buckling to the increased pressure being cranked on them as the combat progressed … a sign of the near-irrational desperation that had taken hold in at least some corners of their dressing room?

If anything, Du Plessis’s men deserve an extra plaudit for sticking to their guns – very clinically, it turned out – after the crisis struck, to simply underline their rather clear-cut superiority and deep levels of desire.

Statistics from the series seemed to say everything: mass superiority in both batting (just for example, five centuries to none) and bowling, where three of the top four pace-department wicket-takers were South African and Keshav Maharaj also pipped Australia’s own, hugely more seasoned frontline spinner Nathan Lyon by one scalp (17 to 16).

So both Du Plessis – though his captaincy far eclipsed his own batting, until a very late return to best form – and head coach Ottis Gibson fully justify a significant place on the tapestry of South African cricket history.

Granted, the weight of the team effort by South Africa was admirable (though AB de Villiers especially rampant at the crease, more or less from start to finish of the series, and Morne Morkel an exquisitely-timed, swansong revelation) but they are the two who, inevitably, will most be feted for the landmark achievement given the gravitas and responsibility of their titles.

For this was completion, hallelujah, of the Proteas’ reasonably long-awaited “Grand Slam” in post-isolation Test cricket.

They had previously beaten every other Test-playing nation both home and away – at least once – since re-admission from isolation in 1992, but always with Australia the one, niggling vacancy on the chart … or more specifically, beating them on our soil.

Seven prior opportunities had been wasted against these fierce foes, stretching back to the 1993/94 three-match scrap between Kepler Wessels’ home nation and the tourists led by Allan Border, now 62 and a guest television commentator for SuperSport during the latest series.

Curiously in that period, the Proteas have beaten the Baggy Greens three times in their own backyard, only making the lone void that bit more inexplicable, and eagerly-awaited.

It said a lot about the mettle of the current SA side, too, that they could so quickly and decisively put behind them the relative humbling they received in the first Test at Kingsmead.

Every Proteas win thereafter only seemed to crank up a notch in levels of mastery, culminating in the almost fairy-tale, 492-run Bullring outcome.

The present SA side isn’t perfect, by any means: debate will still rage from time to time about the balance of their XI, given the absence of a true all-rounder, and a couple of spots in the middle order produced worrisomely low returns indeed (notably the area around five and six).

But this still ended up being about as convincing a Test summer statistically as their fans could have wished for.

Both early-season, weakling visitors Bangladesh and Zimbabwe were disposed of with near-maximum ruthlessness, and then the series against top-ranked India was clinched as early as the second Test, Virat Kohli’s charges only bouncing back in a dead-rubber when, as we well know, the mental and sometimes even selection dynamics are so different.

Australia? Well, even “icing on the cake” seems an understatement, considering that glaring, pre-series knowledge that 48 years had gone by since Ali Bacher’s apartheid-era legends of 1969/70 last beat them in South Africa.

If you wanted to be dreadfully nit-picky, you could submit that the Proteas have not yet beaten Pakistan in their temporary home of the United Arab Emirates (series in 2010/11 and 2013/14 were both drawn) but they have, more pertinently, done the business before in the more challenging Pakistani environment itself (1997/98 and 2007/08) so that would be a flimsy contention.

South Africa haven’t yet advanced back to No 1 on the ICC rankings, India still clinging to that status, but they are closing in.

And they are entitled to a top-of-the-world feeling in the Wanderers afterglow …

 *Follow our chief writer on Twitter: @RobHouwing