Ruth Beitia awarded London 2012 bronze after Russian rival disqualified for doping

Ruth Beitia, 39, came fourth when the UK capital hosted the Games and went home reasonably satisfied with her Olympic diploma, given that Spain had never yet won a medal in the women's high-jump.

But the Cantabria-born physiotherapy graduate has just heard how third-placed Svetlana Shkolina has been disqualified due to doping.

The Russian high-jumper's results between July 16, 2012 and September 14, 2014 have been declared null and void, and she has been banned from competing for four years, starting yesterday (Friday, February 1).

Shkolina beat Ruth on height by just three centimetres in London six-and-a-half years ago.

This means Ruth is now the only Spaniard with two Olympic medals in high-jump, as well as the only one to win a gold.

She has also now been awarded the silver in the 2013 world championships, held in Moscow, since Shkolina won it, but has now been disqualified as it falls within the two years and two months during which she has been found to have been taking performance-enhancing drugs.

Ruth said after Rio 2016 that she did not plan to go on to a third Olympic Games, since she 'could not see herself' competing in Tokyo 2020 'at the age of 41'.

But she already has a swelling medal collection to her name – two silver and two bronzes in the indoor world championships between 2006 and 2016, three European championship titles between 2012 and 2016, plus the European indoor championship title in 2013, as well as four silvers and a bronze at this level between 2005 and 2017.

Outside her sporting career, Ruth has dabbled in politics – she was signed up as member of the right-wing PP's Regional Executive Committee in 2008, became MP in 2011 and First Secretary of Cantabria's Parliament that same year.

She continued as MP for the PP in Cantabria after the 2015 elections and, in September, was added to the PP's candidate list nationally as Secretary for Sports and her nomination extended to that of regional presidential candidate on January 7 this year.

But she stepped down from her regional candidature a fortnight later due to what she described as 'strictly personal and family reasons'.

She had come under fire from the left-wing socialists for apparently comparing animal cruelty to gender violence and, although her words received support from all along the political spectrum – since both involve ill-treatment of a living being – Ruth did not stand by her statement and said she had been 'taken out of context'.

Her new Olympic bronze medal and world championship silver have come to her in exactly the same circumstances as her compatriot, weight-lifter Lydia Valentín, who took home fourth- and fifth-place diplomas from the London 2012 and Peking 2008 Olympics respectively, and found out years later she should have had two medals instead.

The entire podium from Peking was disqualified for doping, giving Lydia the silver, which she received a decade later.

At the same time, it was found that doping evidence had cleared the podium in London, leading to the top three losing their medals and Lydia getting the gold.

As yet, she has not received the medal, but her win has been confirmed.

She says she is happy justice has been done at last, but was disappointed to miss out on two podium moments – having to wait until Rio 2016 when she won the bronze – as well as potentially having lost sponsorship opportunities that a gold or silver medallist would have attracted whilst a diploma recipient would probably not.

Photograph of Ruth Beitia after winning at Rio 2016 taken by the Spanish high-jumping federation