Rob Heffernan moves one step closer to an Olympic Bronze medal

At the Olympics in London in August of 2012, Sergei Kirdyapkin won the Gold medal in the 50km walk. Rob Heffernan finished 4th in the same event.

Kirdyapkin was subsequently found to have been doping so the Russian Anti-Doping Agency RUSADA announced back in January of 2015 that he would be banned for three years and two months from 15.10.2012, with the cancellation of the results of the July 20, 2009 - September 20, 2009, June 29, 2010 - August 29, 2010 December 17, 2011 - June 11, 2012.

Needless to say, the Russians were cherry picking the ban dates so that he could keep his medals which is a farce.

It was announced yesterday that the IAAF...the governing body for international athletics...were not accepting this and they have filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland.

If that appeal is upheld then the Russian should be stripped of his Gold and Rob Heffernan will be upgraded to Bronze.

Sports journalist Ian O'Riordan has an article in the Irish Times about it HERE