Great Britain's women's 4x400 metres relay team to receive 2008 Olympic bronze
By Rory O'Callaghan
Last Updated: 25/11/16 9:42pm
Great Britain's women's 4x400 metres relay team are set to be upgraded to a bronze medal from the 2008 Olympic Games, after more athletes were exposed by the latest round of retrospective anti-doping tests.
Christine Ohuruogu, Kelly Sotherton, Marilyn Okoro and Nicola Sanders originally finished fifth in the final in Beijing eight years ago but were awarded fourth following the disqualification of silver medallists Russia.
The British quartet are now in line to be upgraded for the second time after Belarusian athlete, Sviatlana Usovich, tested positive for the banned steroid dehydrochlormethyltestosterone in the recent retesting of samples from the Games.
As a result, the entire Belarusian team is expected to be disqualified, handing the British team a belated bronze.
Ohuruogu, who claimed the individual 400m title just days before the relay, congratulated her former team-mates on Friday.
"Brilliant news girls, we all ran our hearts out in that final," she said. "It's eight years late, but well deserved."
However, former heptathlete Sotherton was in less celebratory mood following the International Olympic Committee's announcement.
"I've just learnt I could be a Double Olympic medallist," she said. "I'm happy, absolutely ******* fuming and sad."
The bronze will be the third medal Great Britain has been awarded retrospectively as a result of the anti-doping tests.
Javelin thrower Goldie Sayers and the men's 4x400m team have already been awarded bronze.
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