Britain's Jenny Meadows would be "haunted forever" by missing out on a world title by just 0.03 seconds if 800 metres champion Caster Semenya is disqualified following an investigation into her gender.

The IAAF revealed on Wednesday they have been investigating Semenya's gender after her breakthrough performance in winning the African junior championship title at the end of July.

The 18-year-old ran a stunning time of one minute 56.72 seconds in Mauritius, striking almost four seconds from her previous best, and sliced another 1.27secs off that time with victory in the Olympic Stadium.

Meadows produced a storming finish to grab bronze, clocking a new personal best of 1:57.93, just 0.03secs behind Kenya's Janeth Jepkosgei.

But the 28-year-old from Wigan has only sympathy for the situation in which Semenya finds herself and is trying not to think about the prospect of being upgraded to a silver medal.

"I've not allowed myself to think that," Meadows said. "I've joked a few times that I'd rather have the bronze because if I do get upgraded to the silver I was only three hundreths off the gold and that would probably haunt me forever.

"I could probably have done something about that if I'd have gone one metre earlier.

"You always want to walk away from the championships with the medal that you got presented with. If I did get upgraded probably not many people would know about it. Everyone sees on TV that you got awarded with the bronze.

"I hope for the sake of everyone in the competition that I do keep the bronze and my third place is legitimate."

Semenya was escorted past waiting reporters after her victory and was kept away from the traditional medallists' press conference, and Meadows added: "Janeth and I myself at the press conference were just looking at each other. It was a circus. Very bizarre.

"I just feel sorry for Caster. It's not a nice position to be in. It's for the IAAF and South African federation to sort that out. I don't think she should have been put in that position at all.

"She didn't make much eye contact with anybody. I think she was half embarrassed by the whole situation herself. I just really feel for her. It's a situation that could have been avoided.

"We were aware of it but nobody (in the British team) spoke of it. We had to be professional and do our job. I know other nations were saying things but we don't do that.

"I think some people were probably quite outspoken but you don't do yourself any favours by doing that. Maybe I would have been complaining if I didn't get a medal but I'm absolutely thrilled to be on the podium. There's eight people on the line and you want to be in the top three. I did what I set out to do."

Earlier today, Semenya's mother said she has no doubt over her child's gender and claims she is not worried despite the investigation.

"I am not even worried about that (claims she is a male) because I know who and what my child is," Semenya's mother Dorcus told The Star newspaper. "Mokgadi Caster is a girl and no one can change that.

"If you go (to) my home village and ask any of my neighbours, they would tell you that Mokgadi is a girl. They know because they helped raise her. People can say whatever they like but the truth will remain, which is that my child is a girl.

"I am not concerned about such things."

Dorcus, who is the mother of five other children, also praised Semenya for her win, describing it as just reward for her efforts.

She added: "I am humbled at the number of people congratulating me. I am just so happy and proud of her. She has always been a disciplined, kind and patient child, very hard working and serious in what she wanted to become."

Athletics South Africa (ASA) have already issued a statement confirming they are "completely sure" Semenya is female.