• Scottish 800m runner promoted from silver to gold • Yelena Arzhakova banned for two years for a doping offence Britain’s Lynsey Sharp has been promoted from silver to gold medal position in the 800m at the 2012 European Championships and from bronze to silver position in the 800m at the 2011 European Under-23 Championships after the Russian 800m runner Yelena Arzhakova was banned for two years for a doping offence.
• Scottish 800m runner promoted from silver to gold
• Yelena Arzhakova banned for two years for a doping offence
Britain’s Lynsey Sharp has been promoted from silver to gold medal position in the 800m at the 2012 European Championships and from bronze to silver position in the 800m at the 2011 European Under-23 Championships after the Russian 800m runner Yelena Arzhakova was banned for two years for a doping offence. All of Arzhakova’s results from 12 July 2011 onwards are likely to be nullified.
Sharp said: “My reaction to this news, if confirmed to be true, is a mixture of disappointment, satisfaction and elation. I’m disappointed that yet another athlete has been discovered breaking the rules of the sport in order to beat others and win medals, and I’m disappointed further that this athlete competed in the same event as me.”
However, the Scottish athlete says she draws satisfaction from the fact that the system is working and Arzhakova was caught and banned.
“I am elated that my effort on the track has paid off and that a clean athlete is now European Champion,” Sharp added. “It’s a happy day for me and a happy day for athletics.”
Scottish Athletics said it will push for a proper medal ceremony for Sharp, possibly at its annual awards dinner this autumn.
Lynsey’s mum, Carol, told her daughter the news of her gold medal and says she feels “bitter” after what has happened.
She said: “I woke Lynsey up at 5am her time in the United States because I wanted to tell her this myself rather than her hear it elsewhere or see on the internet.
“She just broke down in floods of tears. It is nice, yes, but there is a bit of anger there at missing out on the place on top of the podium to someone who has now failed drug tests.”
The UK Athletics chief executive, Niels de Vos, congratulated Lynsey on the news, calling it a “bittersweet” moment and saying the organisation looks forward to making a presentation to her at one of their home events this summer.