American runner Shannon Rowbury will be awarded an Olympic bronze medal 12 years after she competed in London 2012. Check out why.

For Rowbury, the women’s 1,500-meter final at the 2012 London Olympics was both a highlight and a deeply-disappointing moment in her career. The excitement of competing in the finals of her second Olympics was overwhelming. She recalls the roar of the crowd in the London Stadium as an “out-of-body experience” as she neared the finish line.

However, what appeared to be an exciting race later revealed a darker side. Over time, several athletes who competed in that final were found guilty of doping. This led to the race being labelled as one of the most corrupt in track and field history.

Five of the 13 runners in the event were disqualified for using banned substances, including the top two finishers, Aslı Çakır Alptekin and Gamze Bulut, from Turkey.

Initially, Rowbury finished sixth in the race. However, after years of investigation and re-testing of samples, many of the original results have been overturned.

Earlier in September, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) handed a 10-year doping ban to Russian runner Tatyana Tomashova, who had been upgraded to second place.

With this new ruling, Rowbury is set to be promoted to the bronze medal position, making her the first American woman to win an Olympic medal in the 1,500 meters – a title she will receive more than 12 years after the event.

Shannon Rowbury’s reaction

Rowbury, emotional after hearing the news, described it as a “dream come true” and a release of “12 years of pain”, as per CNN. She remains hopeful that her achievement will finally be recognised. However, the doping controversy is “heartbreaking” for the athlete.

“It was the thing that broke me about running, the doping in sport. In these races, it’s not just physical, it’s like we give, at least for me, the depth of my being, my soul. I’m trying to give everything I can to bring home that result that will make everyone proud,” CNN quoted Rowbury as saying.