PARIS, France — Jamaica’s Olympians Beverly McDonald, Chelsea Hammond Ross and Kaliese Spencer Carter, have expressed mixed emotions after being officially awarded their reallocated Olympic medals on Friday.

The trio was among 10 people who competed at the respective Sydney 2000, Beijing 2008, and London 2012 Games, to receive medals during a special ceremony at Champions Park in Paris.

The Olympians were presented with their medals by Emma Terho, International Olympic Committee (IOC) member and IOC Athletes Commission chair; and Martin Fourcade, IOC member and five-time Olympic biathlon champion.

Spencer Carter was upgraded from fourth to bronze in the 400m hurdles final in London due to the disqualification of Natalya Antyukh, following the fallout from the Russian doping scandal. Spencer Carter expressed a sense of relief at finally receiving her bronze medal after 12 years.

“It is a relief, actually. It has been a long, long fight. I won’t complain, because Beverly has been waiting for 24 years, and I am just super grateful that I was able to finally get this medal,” she said.

“We wanted this to happen at the Olympic Games but it is unfortunate that we are not having it in the Olympic stadium, but I am still happy we could share the moment together. Our families were here so I am just super grateful that it’s over now and happy to have the medal in hand.

“They always called me the fourth girl so I am just happy to show that I have a bronze medal to my name — and you know that you can’t take that away. A medal never goes, so I am just grateful for that,” Spencer Carter noted.

Hammond Ross was upgraded to a bronze medal in the women’s long jump in Beijing after a retest of then-silver medallist Tatyana Lebedeva of Russia, in 2017, revealed a banned substance, leading to her disqualification.

Hammond Ross was ecstatic after collecting her medal in front of a large crowd at Champions Park, located in front of the Eiffel Tower.

“I am completely overjoyed. I can’t even express in words how it feels to have the Eiffel Tower in the backdrop and to share this moment with my husband, my two children, and my fellow teammates! It felt so good.

“Of course, in the stadium, at the moment when you have the adrenaline and you just competed, that’s what you want, but that wasn’t the hand I was dealt. So, all I can do is play the hand I was given and take this opportunity here in Paris with my family and friends and just enjoy it,” said Hammond Ross.

McDonald received her upgraded bronze medal in the women’s 200m from Sydney after American Marion Jones, who had won gold, admitted to taking performance-enhancing drugs.

“It’s been 24 years so it is well-deserved,” said McDonald. “I gave up a long time ago but my husband, Raymond Stewart, kept going, asking and asking where my medal was. My medal came, and it went to Jamaica, but they misplaced it. After all those years my husband said, ‘She needs to get her medal.’ I just want to thank the IOC for recognising and letting me have this medal,” McDonald expressed.