Kelly Sotherton receives Beijing 2008 heptathlon bronze a decade late

Former British heptathlete Kelly Sotherton has finally received her bronze medal from the Beijing 2008 Olympics.

Sotherton, who also won heptathlon bronze at Athens 2004, initially finished fifth in China.

But she was moved onto the podium following the disqualification of Liudmyla Blonska of Ukraine and Russia’s Tatiana Chernova for doping.

“I always knew in my heart this medal was mine,” Sotherton told BBC Sport at the Team GB Ball in London, where she was presented with the medal.

Upon receiving the award she said that she felt ‘happy, sad, angry and bitter’.

This is not the first time Sotherton has been awarded an Olympic medal retrospectively.

Last year the 41-year-old was awarded 4x400m relay bronze from Beijing, following doping violations from the Russian and Belarusian teams.

Sotherton retired in May 2012 and said that her latest medal may be her proudest yet:

“This one won't be in my sock drawer, because this is the one I have been waiting for for a long time.

“Receiving a medal 10 years after I should have got it is a little bittersweet but it indicates the career I had and it will finally confirm me as a three-time Olympic medallist.”