Dylan Armstrong finally receives his Olympic medal
B.C. athlete awarded bronze from 2008 Olympics
The wait was long but the moment still savoured for Dylan Armstrong.
More than six years after narrowly missing out on the Olympic podium at the 2008 Beijing Games, the Canadian shot putter finally received his bronze medal Sunday in his hometown of Kamloops, B.C.
Honesty. Hard work. Fair play. Dylan Armstrong receives his medal from <a href="https://twitter.com/wick_22">@wick_22</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TeamCanada?src=hash">#TeamCanada</a> <a href="https://t.co/5nuIYXiEP6">https://t.co/5nuIYXiEP6</a>
—@CDNOlympicTeam
Armstrong, 34, celebrated the moment in front of about 700 people at the fieldhouse where he trains.
"Thank you to the IOC, the COC and the IAAF for getting this medal back to Canada where it really belongs," Armstrong said.
"It's very overwhelming with the people that came out and supported me today."
Integrity Trumps All! Congrat's to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DylanArmstrong?src=hash">#DylanArmstrong</a> on receiving his bronze medal from the 2008 Beijing Olympics! <a href="http://t.co/MjVULBDGwC">pic.twitter.com/MjVULBDGwC</a>
—@curtharnett
Armstrong finished fourth back in 2008, just a centimetre behind bronze medallist Andrei Mikhnevich of Belarus. That fourth-place finish was upgraded to third last August after Mikhnevich was banned for life for a second doping offence.
"It just shows if listen to your coach and you're dedicated and you work hard, you can do it clean. I'm a prime example of that," Armstrong said.
With files from The Canadian Press