Valerie Adams has been awarded the gold medal for shot put at the London Olympic Games.
The announcement comes after Belarus’s Nadzeya Ostapchuk tested positive for the steroid metenolone in a urine sample. Ostapchuk’s positive test means the 31-year-old has been stripped of her medal, which now passes to Adams.
Chef de Mission Dave Currie broke the news to Adams minutes ago. He says the New Zealand Olympics team is very proud of her.
Adams was overcome with emotion at the news.
“I am speechless with this news. It is taking me some time to take this in,” she said from Switzerland.
“It is huge and I am absolutely thrilled of course. It makes me extraordinarily proud as a New Zealander.”
“It is also encouraging for those athletes, like myself who are proud to compete cleanly, that the system works and doping cheats are caught.”
Adams thre 20.70m in the shot put final at the London Olympics on August 6, but was beaten by the Belarusian who threw 21.36m. It was the first time Adams had been beaten by Ostapchuk in nearly two years.
A total of twelve athletes have now been excluded from the London 2012 Olympics following anti-doping tests. The steroid metenolone, which Ostapchuk was found to have taken, is classified as an anabolic agent under the 2012 Prohibited List.
New Zealand now sits at 15th on the medal table.