Photos from Diana Nyad's post Speaking to the 2020 Candadian Olympic Team Tues, the athlete before me brought us all to our feet.
Christine Girard missed the podium in her sport, weight lifting, at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Fourth place, out of the medals, can be a heartbreaker. But 2012 London Games found Christine on the podium at last, taking the third-place bronze.
But this week, athletes who supposedly beat Christine were dethroned after their performance drug tests proved positive and Christine was awarded the gold for 2012 and the bronze for 2008.
I can’t speak for Christine. She was thrilled when they actually did a flag-raising ceremony, played the Canadian anthem, and she bowed her head for her rightful medals.
Justice was served. But Christine Girard did not take the gold medal platform in 2012. The world did not laud her that day as the world’s best. Her country did not hear “O Canada” played for her that day.
Many Olympic athletes through the ages have had their medals rescinded, after being busted for illegal drugs, and the real medals awarded later. Some times much later. Some times doled out literally in parking lots.
Take the case of 1976 Montreal Games rower Anita DeFrantz. Anita was the captain of the Women’s Eight and they proudly won
bronze. Many years later, the East German doping machine finally investigated, Anita and her teammates were justly named the silver medalists. But Anita famously says: “All I know is, I keep watching the video of our race, and we keep coming in third.”
These athletes, Christine and Anita, deserve their justice, their correct medals. But the real justice will come when the doping tests are efficacious to the point that the cheaters are caught before they even get to the Games. ... See more
