Medal would be nice, but moment of glory robbed

Kamloops' Dylan Armstrong missed out on an Olympic bronze medal in Beijing in 2008 by one centimetre during this throw in the men's shot-put finals. A doping controversy involving the Belarus thrower who did win bronze means Armstrong may yet capture the medal — five years later. Ryan Remiorz

RYAN REMIORZ PHOTO/CANADIAN PRESS

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• Marching toward glory
• Diving for medals
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Dylan Armstrong might end up with Olympic bronze, but he will be forever robbed of his moment on the podium.

"Of course it's disappointing," said Armstrong, a Kamloops shot putter.

"Not only for me, but for my family, coach, friends, sponsors, Athletics Canada and Own the Podium," he said.

"Let's hope the [International Association of Athletics Federations] makes the right decision on this serious doping offence, so that I can take my country's medal back."

Armstrong missed out on bronze at the 2008 Olympic Summer Games in Beijing, China, by a mere centimetre, having been edged out by Andrei Mikhnevich of Belarus.

However, the Associated Press reported on Friday, March 8, that Mikhnevich was one of six athletes using banned substances in the 2005 World Track and Field Championships in Helsinki, Finland.

What brings about the possibility of Armstrong being elevated to the bronze-medal position from fourth in the 2008 Olympic Summer Games is the fact Mikhnevich, in 2001, served a two-year suspension for a doping offence, therefore, a positive test from 2005 should lead to a retroactive lifetime ban that would include the 2008 Olympics.

"I think when someone has served a previous doping offence in the past, you always have your suspicions," Armstrong said.

"When I first heard the news, I immediately made a call to my agent and told him to call Monaco IAAF head quarters to see what was happening. "

The IAAF, the global governing body for track and field, has begun disciplinary procedures against the six athletes who allegedly cheated in 2005.

"Getting the bronze would definitely mean a lot," said Armstrong, a Westsyde secondary graduate.

"I wanted to win a medal for my country and for the community of Kamloops. It was a childhood dream."

Armstrong finished fifth in the men's shot put finals at the 2012 London Olympic Summer Games.