Jessica Ennis-Hill to get belated gold after Chernova loses appeal

Jessica Ennis-Hill will receive a gold medal for her third world heptathlon title in a special ceremony at London 2017 next month, six years after winning the event in Daegu.

That result was finally confirmed on Tuesday when the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) dismissed Tatyana Chernova’s appeal against a blood doping ban.

As well as appearing to beat Ennis-Hill to gold in 2011, Chernova had won bronze medals at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.

But the 29-year-old Russian has now lost all of those results after twice testing positive when her anti-doping samples were later re-analysed. Her biological passport has also revealed years of blood doping.

Ennis-Hill has been waiting for official confirmation of the 2011 result since November, when world athletics governing body the IAAF first stripped Chernova of victory, but the medal could not be reallocated until the Russian had exhausted her right to appeal.

CAS actually ruled against Chernova in November, as the Swiss-based court had to stand in for Russia’s suspended athletics federation, and Chernova’s appeal was based on questioning the jurisdiction of that original hearing. These very narrow grounds for appeal were quickly dismissed.

In a statement, CAS said: “The panel found there was a valid arbitration agreement referring the matter to CAS for a first-instance decision in place of (the Russian federation) and accordingly, the athlete’s submission concerning the jurisdiction of the CAS first-instance decision failed.

“As this was the only issue raised in the appeal, the panel dismissed the appeal and confirmed the initial CAS award.”

This verdict is timely as it had appeared that the IAAF’s plans to reallocate medals originally won by dopers to their rightful owners in London could be frustrated by delays in the appeal process.

But Press Association Sport understands there will be several medal ceremonies – including one for veteran British distance runner Jo Pavey, who has been upgraded to bronze at the 2007 Worlds – during the 10-day championships, and not just for British athletes.

Ennis-Hill, 31, retired from the sport last October but can now look forward to receiving a record-equalling third world heptathlon title, to go along with her Olympic gold and silver, in front of a packed London Stadium.

When these ceremonies will take place is still being decided but they are most likely to happen during the three sessions without scheduled medal ceremonies.

It is unlikely, however, that every British athlete currently owed a medal because of a rival’s doping conviction will get a medal ceremony in London, as the cases from the 2008 and 2012 Olympics are taking longer to process.

London is staging the 16th IAAF World Athletics Championships from August 4-13.