Ballarat’s Jared Tallent is finally an Olympic gold medallist.
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Almost four years after he crossed the finish line in the men's 50km walk in London behind Russian drug cheat Sergey Kirdyapkin, Tallent was presented with his gold medal at a ceremony in Melbourne.
Kirdyapkin was stripped of his medal by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in March, elevating Tallent from his silver medal position.
The 31-year-old also won a silver and bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics.
Tallent said he felt lucky to receive his gold as other athletes who had been beaten by those who doped might not be so lucky.
"To be the first gold medal awarded in Melbourne since the Olympics here is extra special," he said.
"It's a victory for clean sport and justice has been served."
Tallent has become only the seventh Australian male to win an athletics gold medal.
He said getting the medal before competing in Rio, where he would now be reigning Olympic champions, would provide extra motivation.
As well as the medal, presented by International Olympic Committee vice-president John Coates, Tallent received a medal as a member of the Order of Australia.
Coates, who is also the Australian Olympic Committee president, spoke before the presentation and said that Russia's anti-doping agency and athletics body were "rotten to the core".
-AAP
