THE finish line may be in sight for the trio of allegedly hyperandrogenic women who have dominated the 800 metres. The world athletics body, the International Association of Athletic Federations, confirms that they commissioned research which concludes that the high testosterone levels of such women afford a "significant competitive advantage”.

The research, headed "Levelling the playing field in female sport" was published this week in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. It will be laid before the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne this month in a bid to overturn an interim ruling CAS made two years ago.

The IAAF formerly tested women with hyperandrogenism, and those with natural testosterone levels above what was deemed "normal" were obliged to bring their levels down. An Indian sprinter, Dutee Chand, successfully challenged this, and CAS ruled the IAAF regulations were discriminatory (applying only to women) in breach of the IAAF and Olympic charters. There is no equivalent rule disqualifying men with naturally high testosterone. And hyperandrogenous women were effectively banned for life.

The IAAF now claims that research by Stephane Bermon and Pierre-Yves Garnier validates their case. Based on analysis of samples from 2127 athletes of both sexes at the 2011 and 2013 World Championships, the doctors concluded that high testosterone confers a "significant competitive advantage".

This month the IAAF will argue for restoration of rules CAS axed in July 2015. These limit the amount of testosterone female athletes can have in their bodies, but even if successful, next month's World Championships in London will proceed with the rules unchanged.

Arguably the most glaring beneficiary has been the South African, Caster Semenya, winner of two Olympic and two World 800 metres titles. Last year in Rio, all three medallists were perceived as androgynous. The same three women: Semenya, Francine Niyonsaba (Burundi), and Margaret Wambui (Kenya), lead this year's and last year's world rankings – and are likely to sweep the world medals in London.

Dr Bermon, who is a member of the IAAF and IOC working groups on hyperandrogenic female athletes and transgender athletes, said their aim is "to defend, protect and promote fair female competition."

The study shows female athletes with higher testosterone levels can have a competitive advantage in certain events of up to 4.5% over athletes with lower testosterone levels.

Semenya improved her best time by eight seconds in 2009, and won the World crown in Berlin that year by more than two seconds. This sparked a year-long IAAF investigation which was appallingly handled. She was barred from international competition and subjected to prurient and intrusive public scrutiny.

Modest times on her return seemed to confirm medication and/or gender realignment surgery had occurred, but her treatment (mercifully confidential) was shelved thanks to the landmark CAS decision.

Her improvement thereafter was simply beyond belief – on a scale which would otherwise have provoked acute anti-doping scrutiny. But hyperandrogenous women have natural levels of testosterone which are absolutely legal. At last year's South African championships Semenya won the 400m title in 50.74 (improving her best by almost two seconds). Just 45 minutes later she won the 800m in 1:58.45 – both then world leading times. Within three hours she had won the 1500m in 4.10.91. She finished the year ranked 12th, 1st and 14th respectively at the three distances – unprecedented in the history of the sport.

If CAS again reject the IAAF, it will leave the vast mass of female society in limbo. If they uphold, these unfortunate women will be in limbo.

Scotland's former European champion Lynsey Sharp's best time last year ranked eighth in the world, but Semenya, Niyonsaba and Wambui ran as fast or faster 16 times, and of the 22 fastest times last year, 16 were theirs.

And another thing

ONE can't help sympathise with those tortured souls whose sexuality traps them in the wrong body.

Among Scotland's most-admired sportsmen of the 1980s was cyclist Robert Millar, now to be known as Philippa York.

Millar won the Tour de France King of the Mountains in 1984, and was only the second Briton to have won a Tour stage. His fourth in the general classification was then a record by a UK rider. He was twice second in the Vuelta – the Spanish conspired to stop him winning – and runner-up in the 1987 Giro. He rode the Tour de France 11 times and on retirement became GB road coach.

He went native in France, absorbing the culture, had a French wife, Sylvie, by whom he had a child. But later there were salacious tabloid tales of him being a transvestite, and of a gender change. They were hard to reconcile with the Gorbals-reared former Shawlands Academy schoolboy I'd interviewed.

Richard Moore wrote a smashing biography, "In search of Robert Millar" which unravelled much of the mystery of this enigmatic rider. But this week he went public with his gender change – as much a surprise as that of 1976 Olympic decathlon champion Bruce Jenner.

The 58-year-old Millar feels the time is right, because there now is: "a much better acceptance and understanding", as he told cyclingnews.com.

He said he had been transitioning since 2000, adding: "The outcome of that journey has meant that for a considerable time now I have lived as Philippa."

The decision had been taken "after much soul searching and anguish."

We hope Phillipa finds happiness in her new personna.