Bobby Julich will not try to get the silver after Tyler Hamilton gave back his 2004 Olympic gold(Image credit: AFP Photo)
Former Phonak rider Tyler Hamilton en route to winning the eighth stage of the Vuelta a España. Two days later, on September 13, the American returned positive for homologous blood transfusion.(Image credit: Lavuelta.com)
The 2004 Olympic Games time trial podium (L-R): Viatcheslav Ekimov (Russia), silver; Tyler Hamilton (USA), gold; Bobby Julich (USA), bronze(Image credit: AFP)
Tyler Hamilton returned to the Tour in 2004 after an incredible 2003. However his form was off and he could never rise to his 2003 level again(Image credit: Sirotti)
International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge has thanked Tyler Hamilton for requesting that he be stripped of the Olympic gold medal he won in 2004, and be removed from the records as winner of the individual time trial in Athens. Media reports on Thursday said that the IOC would act on Friday.
Update: On Friday afternoon, the IOC Executive Board officially told Hamilton that it had disqualified his results. "Hamilton will be asked to hand the medal back and there will be an exchange of medals with the other athletes," IOC spokesman Mark Adams told the AP.
The gold medal will be awarded to Viatcheslav Ekimov (Russia), silver to Bobby Julich (USA) and bronze to Michael Rogers (Australia).
Hamilton gave a positive A sample for blood doping after his Olympic victory, but the B sample was mishandled and could not be tested, so he was allowed to keep the medal. He has since confessed to having doped and claimed to have returned his gold medal to the USADA. In 2009 he was given an eight-year ban after another positive doping test.
In a letter published by the New York Daily News, Rogge wrote to Hamilton, “I acknowledge with thanks receipt of your letter dated 28 June 2012, in which you request the IOC to withdraw your name from the official record of Olympic champions and disclaim any interest in the Olympic gold medal from the Individual Time Trial cycling race at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.
“In particular, I very much appreciate that you have expressed regret for having used performance enhancing drugs and that you hope that, through your example and future efforts, this will discourage others from using performance enhancing drugs.”
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