Michael Rogers (Tinkoff-Saxo) is due to be presented with an Olympic bronze medal on Tuesday night at the International Olympic Committee headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, 11 years after finishing fourth in the individual time trial at the 20o4 Olympics.
The Australian, then 24-years-old, had missed out on a podium place by three seconds to American Bobby Julich and 30 seconds behind original victor Tyler Hamilton.
But after Hamilton admitted to doping throughout his career in 2011 in the wake of the USADA investigation into Lance Armstrong and his US Postal team and the American was stripped of his title in 2012, Rogers was boosted up to third in the standings and second placed Russian rider (and Hamilton's US Postal teammate) Viatcheslav Ekimov into first.
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Hamilton had initially tested positive for blood doping after the Olympic time trial, but a frozen back-up sample meant that a follow up B sample test couldn't be conducted and he was allowed to keep his gold medal.
The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) and the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) then appealed to the IOC for the reallocation of medals after Hamilton's admission, and now 11 years after Rogers will be presented with medal by AOC president John Coates in Tuesday's special ceremony.
Rogers, who lives in Switzerland, said “it was certainly a special moment when I awoke and read the news that I was receiving the medal. It will be honour to receive the medal from Mr Coates”.
The 35-year-old Tinkoff rider now adds the bronze to his two world time trial titles, while he also counts a national title and a Commonwealth silver medal in the individual time trial on his palmarés.
