SPANISH weight-lifter Lydia Valentín has collected her Olympic silver medal – 10 years after she won it.
During the Peking 2008 games, Lydia came fifth, but two years ago, it was found that the top three competitors had taken performance-enhancing drugs, meaning they were immediately disqualified.
For Lydia, this meant lost opportunities of sponsorship, since a silver Olympic medal would have given her more publicity and clout than a diploma for fifth place.
But she says she does not hold a grudge.
“At the end of the day, the goodies always win, and the others no longer have their Olympic medals,” says Lydia, from Ponferrada.
“Once a person takes performance-enhancing drugs, they cease to be a sportsman or sportswoman.”
She said she was delighted to get her prize at last, having found out in 2016 that she was really a silver medallist from Peking.
“It was a lovely ceremony, very kind and caring, that the Spanish Olympic Committee chair and everyone else who supported me staged,” she admittd.
“Now I've got my medal 10 years on, and it's time to enjoy it.
“It's been worth it – it's not the same as getting it at the time, on the podium, in front of the public, going back to your home country as an Olympic reserve champion, but I've had my moment in a different way and it was lovely, too.”
For the competitors who stole her moment in the limelight, Lydia only feels pity, she says.
“Was it worth it? What did they gain? Winning at all costs isn't what it's about, and they didn't win at all because they cheated,” said Lydia.
“There are two types of weight-lifting – the dark side and the real side – and although they're clamping down a great deal on doping, I'm afraid there's still a long way to go before the sport is completely clean.”
Lydia says she is feeling 'very motivated' after a great 2017, and is now working hard on her training for the European Championships – her final thrust in the journey to her next Olympics, Tokyo 2020.
She credits her family – 'the basis of everything' – who have 'always been there', plus her trainers, doctors, physiotherapists and 'everyone else' who has helped her reach her prestigious position.
And Lydia is not just a silver medallist – she came fourth in London 2012, but the top three were also, last year, formally disqualified for taking performance-enhancing drugs, meaning Lydia now gets the gold.
She has not yet received her London Olympic gold, but hopes she will not have to wait 10 years for it.
This effectively means she has earnt a medal in each of her last three Olympic games, since she took the bronze in Rio 2016.
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