Article content

It’s better late than never for weightlifter Christine Girard.

On Thursday, the International Olympic Committee officially confirmed that six years after the 2012 London Summer Olympics, Girard is to be awarded the gold medal in the women’s 63-kilogram weight class.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or White Rock's Girard pumped about getting 2012 Olympic weightlifting gold six years later Back to video

The two women who finished above Girard — Maiya Maneza of Kazakhstan and Svetlana Tsarukaeva of Russia — were stripped of their gold and silver medals, respectively, after a 2016 retest of samples showed they had cheated by taking steroids.

Girard had been awarded bronze in London.

“Better late than never,” Girard said in a phone interview from her home in White Rock.

“It’s really good that dopers are getting caught. It means the sport in general will get cleaner. It takes time, but it is always worth it.”

Girard still doesn’t have her gold medal in hand. She said she’s working out the details on receiving the medal with the Canadian Olympic Committee.