Russia’s Svetlana Krivelyova was originally fourth place in the women’s shotput at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. She watched her Russian teammate Irina Korzhanenko stand on the podium and receive the gold medal. Korzhanenko was stripped of the gold medal a few days later after she tested positive for stanozolol (aka Winstrol).
Korzhanenko’s bad news was good news for Krivelyova. Krivelyova was given the bronze medal as a result.
But eight years later, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) wants to take the bronze medal back.
Krivelyova was one of four athletes have been asked by the IOC to return their Olympic medals from Athens. The Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) invalidated their placings after the re-testing of frozen urine samples uncovered the presence of anabolic steroid metabolites.
Yuriy Bilonog of Ukraine, who won the gold-medal in the men’s shot put, Ivan Tsikhan of Belarus, who won silver in the men’s hammer throw and Iryna Yatchenko of Belarus, who won bronze in the women’s discus throw also tested positive for steroids.
Oxandrolone (aka Anavar) metabolites were found in Bilonog and Krivelyova’s re-tested samples. Methandrostenolone (aka Dianabol) metabolites were found in Tsikhan and Yatchenko’s samples.
Krivelyova has made it clear that she has no intentions of returning her bronze medal. In an interview Russia’s All-Sport last week, she responded to the IOC’s request.
“I’ll just tell them to go to hell If they come and ask for my medal,” Krivelyova said. “I’ve been in the sport for 20 years and I’ve never done anything against the rules. Usually, it was quite the opposite – I was often awarded somebody else medals after they had committed doping violations.”
The 1992 Barcelona Olympic gold medalist had benefitted at past competitions when other athletes failed drug tests.
Krivelyova won gold at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics in Paris only after two other athletes tested positive for Winstrol metabolites.
She also won gold at the 2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Budapest after another athlete was caught with a Winstrol positive drug test.
“I’m not going to give my medal back. You can count on it. Why should I give it to someone who initially finished fifth (in Athens) and, unlike myself, was never tested,” she added.
Stripping Krivelyova of the bronze sets the stage for Belarusian shot putter Nadzeya Ostapchuk (aka Astapchuk) to take the bronze medal.
Ostapchuk won the gold medal at the 2012 London Olympic before testing positive for Primobolan (methenolone).
Will the IOC decide to give her an Olympic bronze from Athens to take its place?
Source:
Wilson, S. (December 6, 2012). Four Olympians lose medals for steroid use at Athens. Retrieved from http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Latest-News-Wires/2012/1206/Four-Olympians-lose-medals-for-steroid-use-at-Athens
Reuters. (November 27, 2012). Olympic Games – Russian athlete probed for doping breach. Retrieved from http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/olympic-games-russian-athlete-probed-doping-breach-124630949.html
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