VIDEO: Rob Heffernan awaits London medal call

Three years ago, he crossed the finish line at the London Olympics but the race hasn’t ended.

Still, Rob Heffernan is more hopeful than ever that he will receive an Olympic bronze medal retrospectively, via the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The case taken by the IAAF, athletics’ governing body, sought to extend the selective sanctions imposed by the Russian Anti-Doping Association on Sergey Kirdyapkin, which would have allowed his gold medal from the 50km Walk at the 2012 Games to stand.

“I think that it will come through but I’m not focused on it at the moment. It would be great, obviously,” said Heffernan. “Everybody knows the situation with doping in Russia. It’s just a matter for the authorities to finalise it.

“I’m still sitting and waiting and I’m waiting on another medal, possibly, from Barcelona.”

Heffernan has already received a retrospective bronze from the 20km Walk at the 2010 European Championships but also finished fourth in the 50km Walk the same week, with Bakulin beating him to the podium.

However Bakulin’s disqualification was back-dated to January 2011, six months after his European medal. This suspension will be examined alongside Kirdyapkin’s by CAS.

“It’s going to be down to their judgment. The IAAF looked at it and haven’t gone with the Russian recommendations that they banned them periodically... they were banned here and they weren’t banned there.”

However Heffernan will not allow the possible excitement of medals coming through the mailbox to hinder his preparations for his World title defence in eight weeks’ time. “Last year was a good bit of experience because it became a distraction for a while. I need to focus on what I can do.