Canadian steeplechasers upgraded to 2013 FISU gold and silver medals

Canadians Chantelle Groenewoud and Jessica Furlan have been upgraded to gold and silver medals after all three original medallists from the 3,000m steeplechase at the 2013 FISU (International University Sports Federation) Summer Universiade in Kazan, Russia, were busted for doping. Seven years ago, the two Canadian women finished in fourth and fifth place in Kazan, with Groenewoud posting a time of 9:51.17, just ahead of Furlan. In July 2018, Groenewoud was bumped to bronze when one of the medallists was retroactively stripped of her medal, and now she and Furlan have climbed two more spots after another round of doping infractions. 

?? Canadian track and field athletes upgraded to top steps of the podium at Kazan 2013 @FISU Summer Universiade / Des athlètes canadiennes accèdent aux plus hautes marches du podium de l’Universiade d’été Kazan 2013

?EN: https://t.co/DGFJPob1mv /?FR: https://t.co/ivD1e6OTAY pic.twitter.com/hIgfXjOncr

— U SPORTS (@USPORTSca) November 5, 2020

Kazan 2013 

On July 10, 2013, Groenewoud and Furlan finished far off the podium, crossing the line more than five seconds after bronze medallist Gulcan Mingir of Turkey, who ran 9:45.88. Ahead of Mingir were Svitlana Shmidt of Ukraine in second and Russia’s Yulia Zaripova in first. Zaripova annihilated the rest of the field, finishing with what was then the FISU Universiade record of 9:28.00, a full 12 seconds ahead of Shmidt. 

RELATED: 2013 Team Canada medal haul upgraded due to doping infractions

Shmidt was the first of these podium finishers to fall, which led to Groenewoud’s upgrade to bronze in 2018. Now, proof has come to light that Mingir and Zaripova also doped, and they, too, have been stripped of their medals, which makes Groenewoud and Furlan the first Canadians to win gold and silver in the same FISU athletics event. 

What is it like to have a race result upgraded years later? U SPORTS announced today that Chantelle Groenewoud and Jessica Furlan are your new 2013 FISU Summer Universiade gold and silver medallists! Read more about their seven-year journey up the podium.https://t.co/XAPHo2ifLj pic.twitter.com/8Z2GgOABDz

— Athletics Canada (@AthleticsCanada) November 5, 2020

A delayed celebration 

Groenewoud, who has retired from elite racing and is now expecting her first child, spoke with U Sports after the news broke. “There’s no one else I’d rather share a podium with than Jessica,” she said. “Jess and I were both so excited in the moment already with fourth and fifth.”

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She adds that the upgrade is bittersweet, though, and while it’s an exciting development, she can’t help but think about what she missed in the moment. “Part of it is never getting that experience when you’re on the podium and your national anthem is playing, or you’re in the race and you’re realizing that ‘Wow! I’m going to win gold or silver!’” 

While Groenewoud’s professional running career has come to an end, Furlan is still competing, and she has her sights set on the Tokyo Olympics next summer.