Betitia: "The London medal is the result of a dream born in Barcelona’92"

Ruth Beitiacollected this Monday the London 2012 bronze awarded to her nine years later, in 2021, after the disqualification of Russian Svetlana Shkolina, declared that the medal was “the fruit of a dream born” at the Barcelona’92 Games.

The former Cantabrian athlete Initially, she was fourth in the high jump final won by Russian Anna Chicherova -who was also allowed for doping in Beijing 2008 and Berlin 2009- with 2.05 meters.followed by American Brigetta Barrett with 2.03 and Shkolina with the same score.

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Four years after that date in London the so -called ‘McLaren report’ was discovereda World Anti-Doping Agency investigation conducted by Law Professor Richard McLaren.

The investigation reflects an organized doping plot in Russia hiding positives between 2011 and 2015, which could benefit Shkolina when sporting.

After the related allegations, due to World Athletics sanctions, The International Olympic Committee (IOC) made official on November 13, 2021 the change of classification in the high jump final of the London 2012 Olympic Games after the doping of Russian Svetlana Shkolina. That decision benefited Ruth Beitia, who finished third out of fourth.

“Ten years later, this moment has come. We should have had this medal by then, but history is written that way. I’m so happy to be with my 50 percent, Ramón Torralbo, my coach, and the I think this medal is the result of work and a dream born in Barcelona 1992 to see Fermín Cacho, Antonio Peñalver or Daniel Plaza win. For me it is something incredible “, said Beitia, then collect the medal.

“I thank the Spanish Olympic Committee for a very good day, for collecting it at the house of Spanish athletics and especially Alejandro Blanco, whom I adore, and my president Raúl Chapado. I invited José María Odriozola, who was president of RFEA when I won, but he was with the covid, ”said the Cantabrian athlete, who said he felt“ privileged ”for everything he experienced.

“I was born into a family of athletes. My parents always thought that sport should be education. Ramón Torralbo picked me up when I was eleven years old to fulfill a dream and the medals were the result of a path where we fell many times and got up many times, because not everyone has been wonderful, but we know how to reinvent ourselves, encourage ourselves and continue to compete with the same smile always, ”he said.

Ruth Beitia thanked the “support always shown” by Alejandro Blanco, who described the athlete as a “sports legend in Spain”.

“The word legend is overwhelming but history has a life like this reserved for me. I collected all the work sown“Beitia announced, who will present his medal to the Santander Sports Museum in a few months.

“I’ll leave him there, even if for now I’ll spin him a little. I want to write, for remembrance, that people like me, who have a dream, have fulfilled it. You have to strive for dreams because sometimes they can come true, “he concluded.