Janice R. Andrews
PARIS — After 12 years in the making, Lashinda Demus and Erik Kynard finally collected their Olympic gold medals at the Trocadéro under a cloudy sky. The event lacked the instantaneous glory of a podium finish, the majesty of a full stadium, and the thunderous cheers of the fans. However, for hurdler Demus and high jumper Kynard, it was a long-overdue acknowledgement of their legitimate triumphs at the 2012 Olympics, when they both started as silver medallists behind Russian competitors who were later revealed to have doped.
The first-ever medal reallocation ceremony at an Olympic Games took place on Friday at Champions Park, and it signaled a major change in the way the International Olympic Committee (IOC) handles the unfairness of retroactive medal awarding. For the athletes, the event, which was a part of a public daily Olympic fan celebration, was a bittersweet moment. It was a chance for the world to recognize their accomplishments, but it also brought to light the years’ worth of squandered moments and possibilities.
A Battle for Acknowledgment
Like many other competitors in comparable circumstances, Demus and Kynard were denied the honor of winning an Olympic gold medal for a long time. They observed others enjoying the spotlight rather than taking a position atop the platform during the playing of the national anthem. For many, the much-needed acknowledgement frequently arrived in far less formal ways, such as by mail, in private offices, or even, as Kynard angrily recounted, at a fast-food joint.
Demus took matters into her own hands, determined to save herself from such a fate. Along with the other legitimate medalists from her event, she sought legal counsel and pushed the IOC to have an appropriate ceremony. “I will be damned if that happens to me,” Demus said, desperate for a commensurate moment of validation for her accomplishment.
Her perseverance paid off. Though it couldn’t fully replace the thrill of taking home the gold in 2012, the medal reallocation ceremony on Friday provided a glimpse of the moment she and Kynard had been denied. In order to give competitors like Demus and Kynard the credit they earned, the IOC redistributed medals at an Olympic Games in a public ceremony for the first time.
A Strange and Emotional Ceremony
A range of emotions could be seen in the Champions Park setting. Beverly McDonald, a sprinter who placed fourth in the 200-meter final at the 2000 Sydney Olympics but was later awarded bronze following Marion Jones’ disqualification, kicked off the ceremony. Athletes from seven different weightlifting and track and field competitions from 2000, 2004 and 2012 made their way down a runway and onto a temporary stage close to the site of the 2024 Olympic opening ceremony. Highlights of their performances over the previous ten years were shown on a video screen, to the cheers of a few thousand admirers. The “Star-Spangled Banner” blasted, and the two gold medalists, Demus and Kynard, turned to face a TV screen with an American flag waving.
“It wasn’t exactly what I wanted,” Demus later said. “My goal was to enter the Olympic stadium. However, they made every effort to achieve what I want, and for that, I am grateful and respectful.”
Demus, who has long ago stepped away from competition, saw closure in the event. She had managed to separate herself from the anguish of losing out on gold in 2012 after years of fighting with it. The retroactive medal was unable to make up for those years she missed or compensate her for the money she lost as a result of the difference in value between silver and gold. “I lost bonuses, I lost sponsorship deals, I lost—who knows,” Demus thought to himself. “If I were to add it up, I probably lost millions.”
A Bright Spot Among Missed Chances
There was some comfort in the ceremony, though, despite the gnawing feeling of what could have been. In order to make fresh experiences that may not have been possible otherwise, several of the reallocated medalists traveled to Paris with their families. Joining him were his two young boys, Kynard is currently a high-performance director for USA Track and Field. Demus took her four kids on a week-long vacation that was partially sponsored by the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee and the IOC, together with her parents and other family members. She started a GoFundMe effort to raise the remaining funds and raised $21,750 in total. She wrote to donors, “My dream of visiting Paris is transforming into an even more magical experience thanks to your incredible support.”
Demus saw the event as an occasion to be “celebrated” and “prideful.” It was an opportunity for her to feel closure and to tell her kids about her accomplishment. “It was special,” she stated, “because I had detached myself from the disappointment, the pain, the sadness, or whatever I felt at the time.”
Kynard also showed conflicting feelings. Even though he received some praise at the event, it was insufficient to make up for what he had lost. His comment, which perfectly captured the melancholy essence of the event, was, “It’s like I told a joke 12 years ago, and the world just now is starting to get it.”
Ultimately, the medal reallocation ceremony at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris was a positive development, indicating that the IOC is starting to understand the need of paying tribute to athletes’ accomplishments in a more significant way. However, for Demus, Kynard, and similar individuals, the present moment will perpetually be colored by the awareness of what might have been.
