Drouin in line for 2012 Olympic silver
Derek Drouin’s Olympic bronze medal won at the 2012 Games could be bumped up to silver after high jump champion Ivan Ukhov was among 12 Russian track and field athletes found guilty Friday of taking part in state-backed doping.
Drouin, a 28-year-old from Corunna, Ont., was among three people who tied for bronze in London, sharing the podium with Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar and Robert Grabarz of Britain.
“We have reached out to the Canadian Olympic Committee to make them aware, as the (International Olympic Committee) will work through them if any adjustments need to be made to results/ medals,” said Matthew Gentes, the chief operating officer of Athletics Canada.
“We’re aware, we’re monitoring, and we’ll be keeping a close eye on any developments.”
Changing Olympic podium results after positive tests can be a lengthy process because of appeals.
“It’s great to see cheats getting caught, no matter the timeline, but unfortunately the affected athletes have been robbed of their moment, that you can never get back,” Gentes said.
Drouin went on to win gold at the 2015 world championships and 2016 Rio Olympics.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport said Ukhov has been disqualified from the 2012 London Games, while hammer thrower Tatyana Lysenko and high jumper Svetlana Shkolina also have been disqualified after winning gold at the 2013 world championships.
The court ruled the athletes “participated in and/or benefited from anabolic steroid doping” in the period before the London Olympics and through the 2013 worlds in Moscow. Ukhov and Shkolina were handed four-year bans on Friday. An eight-year ban was imposed on Lysenko for her second offence, backdated to run until July 2024.
With Ukhov disqualified, the International Olympic Committee can upgrade silver medallist Erik Kynard of the United States to become the 2012 champion.