Alysia Montaño’s Long Road to Justice: Doping Violations Rob Her of Moments and Medals in Track and Field

Alysia Montaño’s first Olympic medal should have been a momentous occasion filled with joy and relief. However, when she found out that her fourth-place finish in London 2012 was upgraded to bronze due to doping violations by Russian athletes Mariya Savinova and Ekaterina Guliyev (then known as Ekaterina Poistogova), Montaño’s emotions were mixed. Initially, she felt emptiness and loss because the moment had been lost for her. Her grandmother, who turned 100 days before the race in London, never knew that Montaño would receive a medal due to Savinova’s doping violation. This realization left Montaño feeling despondent as she couldn’t get back those moments and people who were supposed to be there for her during this significant moment of triumph.
Montaño has been retrospectively awarded bronze medals from the 2011 and 2013 world championships due to Savinova’s doping violations, but she still feels a sense of isolation from track and field because missing out on medals and potential earnings contributed towards her trauma in competing. She also believes that some athletes will suffer similar fates at the upcoming Paris Olympics as they may be robbed of their moment on the podium due to doping violations by other competitors, which could lead to harsher punishments for those found guilty of such offenses.
Montaño’s love for running remains undiminished despite her challenges and frustrations with track and field competitions. She still enjoys heading out on the roads and trails because once she starts racing, all other problems are left behind due to the release adrenaline in her body during the competition. Montaño hopes that being awarded an Olympic medal at the 2028 Games will offer some sort of closure instead of feeling stuck on a sentence for too long.