Kenyan middle-distance runner Pamela Jelimo has received a bronze medal ten years after finishing fourth in the 800m final at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
Jelimo, popularly known as Eldoret Express, was handed the medal following the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) disqualification of Russia’s Mariya Savinova due to a doping violation in 2015. Savinova won the 800m gold medal in 2012.
Jelimo condemned doping in sports, saying it was “a menace for an athlete to progress career-wise”
“This is like a dream. I initially didn’t believe it when I heard the good news. It’s truly a dream of every athlete to win a medal in the Olympics and I’m honoured to have my parents accompany me and share this joy.”
Lately, Kenyan athletes have been in the spotlight due to high rate of doping and Kenya only recently escaped an international ban.