In the past, a prominent Olympian had her medal taken away from her after she was barred from competing for a period of ten years.
Tatyana Tomashova, a Russian athlete, won the silver medal in the women’s 1500-meter race at the London Olympic Games in 2012. The race came under scrutiny due to its controversial nature.
Tomashova eventually won silver in spite of the fact that she finished the race in fourth place. This was due to the fact that two of the women who had finished ahead of her were disqualified after returning positive doping tests after the race.
However, more than a decade after the race, the two-time world champion has experienced a similar fate. She has been stripped of her prized medal after being handed a massive ban from competing in the sport.
Asli Cakir Alptekin and Gamze Bulut, two Turkish athletes, finished the 1500-meter race in first and second place, respectively. However, they later returned positive doping tests, which resulted in Tomashova’s fourth-place finish being upgraded to second place.
On the other hand, it was confirmed in September that the Russian athlete’s silver medal would also be taken away from her because she was ordered to serve a ten-year suspension after testing positive for anabolic steroids.
As more information about the race that took place in London in 2012 has become available, it has been given the moniker of the “dirtiest race in history.” This is due to the fact that Russian athletes Ekaterina Kostetskaya and Natallia Kareiva, who performed further down the field in seventh and ninth place, have also been banned for doping.
As a result of the recent disclosure of the results of Tomashova’s doping test, a shocking six women from among the top nine in the race have been banned for doping since the race began.
In light of this, Abeba Aregawi, who competed for Sweden, was awarded a new silver medal during a ceremony that took place at the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024. This occurred after her bronze medal was upgraded.
In 2016, Aregawi was also found to have violated anti-doping regulations, but he was never suspended for his actions.
It was after the race in 2021 that Lisa Dobriskey, who was a member of Team GB and finished in tenth place, made the following statement to BBC Radio 5 Live: “I don’t believe I’m competing on a level playing field.”
In light of the most recent suspension, Dobriskyey will now be placed in fifth place, while Laura Weightman, a member of the British team, who finished eleventh in the race, will now be placed in sixth place.
The following is a response that Weightman posted on his Instagram story in response to the news of Tomashova’s suspension: “11th to 6th in the years since the London 2012 final.” Complicated to understand.
“I’ll always be proud of my career and showing what is possible running clean.”
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