China's Qieyang Shijie, Liu Hong, and Lyu Xiuzhi are expected to receive the gold, silver, and bronze medals of the women's 20km race walk from the London 2012 Olympic Games, respectively, following the disqualification of Elena Lashmanova's 1st place finish.

According to the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) on Monday, Lashmanova has been banned for two years since March 9, 2021 for using prohibited substances, a violation of World Athletics anti-doping rules, and was denied all her awards won from February 18, 2012 to January 3, 2014, including a World Championship title from 2013.

Qieyang, 31, was originally given a bronze medal during the London Olympics, with compatriots Liu and Lyu ranking fourth and sixth.

The original runner-up, Olga Kaniskina and the fifth-placed Anisya Kirdyapkina were suspended for doping and thus stripped of their achievements from the London Games in 2015. Therefore, the three Chinese athletes rose to the second, third, and fourth place.

On Monday, the AIU announced the disqualification of Lashmanova's title from the race, which again, prompted the Chinese athletes in ranking.

"A decade has passed. I feel both happy and sad about embracing my Olympic gold medal in such a way," Qieyang Shijie wrote on China's Twitter-like social media Weibo.

"What makes me happy is that I can become a champion and receive an Olympic gold medal. What makes me sad is that I never knew what it felt like to become a champion," she added.

Born in Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in northwest China's Qinghai Province, Qieyang has now become China's first Tibetan Olympic champion.

(With input from Xinhua News Agency)