They were robbed of their Olympic moment.
Sam Edney, Alex Gough, Justin Snith, and Tristan Walker – four members of Canada’s Olympic luge relay team at the 2014 Olympics – walked away from Sochi with nothing.
Finishing 0.1 seconds behind the team from Latvia, they finished in fourth place.
But as the foursome prepares for redemption at the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang this February, it appears they will compete as returning medallists.
#ICYMI: #TeamCanada got bigger this morning when the #PyeongChang2018 luge team was announced 🇨🇦
Meet the team: https://t.co/pVLQoM4uDZ pic.twitter.com/PuWXL7BN7L
— Team Canada (@TeamCanada) December 20, 2017
The International Olympic Committee ruled on Friday that two members of the silver medal winning luge relay team from Russia (SURPRISE!), Albert Demchenko and Tatiana Ivanova, have been disqualified for doping. The lugers were two of 11 Russian athletes that were sanctioned.
IOC sanctions 11 Russian athletes as part of Oswald Commission findings https://t.co/ZZqW6d05kR
— IOC MEDIA (@iocmedia) December 22, 2017
As a result, Russia will be stripped of their silver medal. The Latvian team will be bumped up from bronze to silver, and the Canadian team will take bronze.
The team relay event, which consists of one man, one woman, and a doubles pair, made its debut at the Sochi 2014 Olympics.
This will mark the first-ever Olympic medal Canada has ever achieved in luge. But it must be a bitter sweet moment for the Calgary-based team.
While it’s a dream come true to win an Olympic medal, this wasn’t how they envisioned getting it.
And thus, Russia has claimed another victim.
Due to widespread state-sponsored doping, Russia won’t compete as a team in the Olympics in February. Athletes with a spotless record can apply to compete on the ‘Olympic Athlete from Russia’ team, but the Russian colours, anthem, and flag will absent from all official events.