Corunna high jumper Derek Drouin has officially been presented with an upgraded silver medal from the 2012 London Summer Olympics.
He was one of 10 Olympians to be awarded a "reallocated" medal during a ceremony Friday in Paris 2024’s Champions Park at Trocadéro Gardens at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.
Drouin originally finished in a three-way tie for bronze in the high jump in his Olympic debut at London 2012 after clearing 2.29 metres.
In November 2021, Drouin's London bronze medal was upgraded to silver following the disqualification of the initial gold medal winner for a doping violation.
Russia's Ivan Ukhov originally won gold but was one of 12 Russian track and field athletes who were found guilty in February of 2019 of state-backed doping.
American Erik Kynard is the newly crowned gold medal winner.
Drouin commented on the upgrade in a news release from the Canadian Olympic Committee.
“While this is certainly not the way any athlete dreams of receiving an Olympic medal, long-awaited reallocations like this display the continuous fight our governing bodies are undertaking to ensure the Olympic arena is a fair and honest environment," said Drouin. "I consider this a step in the right direction to ensuring a future where fewer athletes who dope squeeze through the cracks so that moments don’t continue to be stolen from deserving athletes. I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to stand on the podium in London, as it is a moment in my career that I will never forget. However, I’m pained for the athletes who have been denied the opportunity to listen to their own national anthem while standing atop the podium."
Drouin said it’s a pleasure to be in Paris with Team Canada.
"I am excited to celebrate the incredible current athletes as they live out their own Olympic journeys while getting the chance to relive part of my own. I am grateful that the IOC has created this opportunity for athletes affected by doping in sport," he said.
Drouin won a gold medal in the men's high jump at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, becoming Canada’s first Olympic champion in an athletics field event since Duncan McNaughton won the high jump at Los Angeles 1932.
Drouin captured track and field gold medals at the World Championships in 2015, the Commonwealth Games in 2014 and the Pan American Games in 2015. No other Canadian track and field athlete has captured gold in all four of these international competitions.
He also won the Bowerman Award as the top college track and field athlete in the United States.
The 34-year-old Drouin has since retired from the sport.