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Shalane Flanagan’s 2008 bronze medal in the 10K run is now officially a silver.
It may be nine years after the fact, but Marblehead native Shalane Flanagan is officially an Olympic silver medalist.
Flanagan, in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, captured the bronze medal in the 10K run and came home to a hero’s welcome, including a civic celebration in her hometown of Marblehead.
At the time she won the race, she set an American record of 30:22.22.
However, Turkish runner Elvan Abeylegesse, tested positive for the banned steroid stanozolol when a sample from 2007 was tested recently. As a result, she was given a two-year ban. Along with that, results from 2007-2009 were thrown out. The silver she won in 2008 now goes to Flanagan.
“Elated to receive this news,” Flanagan tweeted earlier this week. “Heard this was possible two years ago. Still have never been contacted by @iaaforg or IOC (International Olympic Committee) about next step.”
At Marblehead High, Flanagan was three-time all-state cross country champion, a state champion in the mile, and a two-mile champion. She also won the national scholastic indoor championship.
At the University of North Carolina, Flanagan won national cross country championships in 2002 and 2003, becoming the first individual champion in UNC history.
After winning in Beijing, she switcher her concentration to marathons. She had already crossed the finish line in Boston in 2013 and had left the area when two bombs ripped through the finish line. A year later, she entered and nearly won, fading in the last third of the race to finish seventh.
She did not run in 2016 in preparation for the Olympic marathon, in which she finished sixth, and will not run in Boston later this month due to a fracture in her back.
