The legendary Czech athlete was not surprised. Because of a Russian fraudster, she lost the medal she won twelve years ago at the London Olympics.
But now Zuzana Hejnová will see justice. After the bronze medal from London 2012, which she had to return for procedural reasons, she will receive silver during the Olympic Games in Paris. It a native of Liberec it fell after the disqualification of the original winner of the 400 meters hurdles Natalya Antyuchova from Russia.
Hejnová: I have no medal now
Along with the Czech athlete, the newly crowned winner Lashinda Demus from the USA and the Jamaican Kaliese Spencer, who originally finished fourth, will also be honored. “I look forward to. Everyone asks me when the ceremony will be and if I have the medal yet. They’re surprised when I say I don’t have one.” said the two-time world champion Hejnová in the press release of the WWTP.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will hold a ceremony on August 9 in the Park of Champions in the center of Paris with a new set of podiums. “I’m mainly glad that all three of us will be there, because we haven’t seen each other for a long time. And that we will enjoy it together. We’ve met throughout my career. It’s certainly better than if we each received the medal separately,” said thirty-seven-year-old Hejnová. The ceremonial announcement will take place two days before the end of the Paris Olympics.
Russia was disqualified
12 years ago in London, Hejnová took third place in the final race and took the bronze. But in 2022 Athletics Integrity Unit, a special commission, which is set up for these cases, decided to disqualify Anťuchová due to the use of prohibited substances. Last March, the IOC confirmed that the silver belongs to the Czech athlete.
“Then we had to return Zuzča’s bronze, which will be taken over by a Jamaican athlete. It is very nice that the IOC will hold the ceremony in the Champions Park, where thousands of fans will welcome the Olympic medalists. Even though it is very late, I believe that the medal presentation there will have the right atmosphere.” said the sports director of the WWTP, Martin Doktor.
The Olympics in Paris start already on July 26. Three-time Olympic champion Ester Ledecká, who we also recently wrote about on SportsŽiv, was thinking about starting at the summer games a year ago. However, windsurfing competitions still have to wait for the Czech champion. Maybe next time.
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