After more than 2 years, US figure skaters receive gold medal from Winter Olympics

PARIS, France — After more than two years, the U.S. figure skating team finally have their long-awaited gold medals.

In a special ceremony in Champions Park Plaza on Wednesday, Evan Bates, Karen Chen, Nathan Chen and the rest of the American team were awarded their Olympic medals.

During the 2022 Winter Olympics, Team USA had originally placed second to the Russians including teenage star Kamila Valieva, who within hours was implicated in a doping case that took almost two years to judge.

No medals were presented at the end of the event in Beijing.

The Russians officially lost the Olympic title in January when Valieva was disqualified and banned for four years. 

It wasn't until days before the Summer Games took off that the latest Court of Arbitration of Sports ruling guaranteed the U.S. team their overdue gold medals. Three CAS judges dismissed the Russian appeals to be reinstated as the team gold medalist.

The U.S. wasn't the only country to receive an upgrade as the ruling also allowed for Japan, who placed third in the team event, to be in line for upgraded silvers.

“We are thrilled to finally honor these incredible athletes," Sarah Hirshland, chief executive of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, said in a statement earlier this month. "We are especially excited that the beautiful city of Paris will join us in this celebration.”

While the American team can close the chapter on the 2022 Winter Olympics on a high, the Canadian team had a different outcome.

CAS said on Aug. 2 that its judges dismissed the Canadian appeal to be upgraded from fourth place to third in the Beijing Olympics standings that had to be amended by the International Skating Union because of Russian doping case.

After CAS published its verdict, the IOC confirmed it will award only gold and silver medals in Paris.