Qieyang Shijie already had an illustrious career, but the Chinese race walker wrote her name even deeper into the history books on Thursday when she finally clinched her gold medal from the 2012 London Olympics after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) executive board approved reallocating some results from the Games because of doping violations. 

Qieyang, who originally finished third in the women's 20km race walk, was upgraded from bronze to gold after Russian gold and silver medalists Elena Lashmanova and Olga Kaniskina were retroactively disqualified for the use of prohibited substances, a violation of World Athletics anti-doping rules. 

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), which oversees doping cases in track and field, confirmed that Lashmanova had not appealed a penalty handed down that included the stripping of her results from February 2012 through January 2014, paving the way for IOC's decision to "proceed with the reallocation of medals and the update of the database."

The reallocation means Qieyang has now become China's first ever Olympic gold medalist from the Tibetan ethnic minority group.  
The IOC announcement, which came 11 years after the original race in London, also moved China's Liu Hong from fourth to silver and Lyu Xiuzhi went from fifth to bronze. It represented China's first track and field podium sweep in Olympic history. 

After Lashmanova accepted the sanction proposed by the AIU last year, Qieyang, who earned a collection of silver medals at major tournaments, has spoken about her bittersweet feeling about the possibility of finally winning the gold.

"I felt both happy and sad when I heard the news," the 32-year-old said on social media. "I'm happy because I could be the champion I am in my heart and I could have an Olympic gold medal. But I'm also regretful as I didn't experience what an Olympic gold medalist should have experienced. 

"Let bygones be bygones, and I will always try to work hard to get what I want... Tomorrow is a new beginning and a fresh start. Thank you all for your support and blessings over the years. May you all be healthy, safe and happy." 

According to the IOC, Qieyang can choose how to receive her gold medal, including at the next Olympic Games in Paris.