Olympic gold medalist in the high jump Ivan Ukhov has promised to melt his medal to turn it into an accessory for his wife.
"I promised my wife a gold chain, and when we go home, we'll melt it down. I don't like jewelry," he told journalists, according to website Sports.ru.
It was not clear whether the 26-year-old seriously intends to melt his gold medal, which he was awarded Tuesday after jumping 2.38 meters on a wet night in London to beat out America's Erik Kynard.
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Russia gained in the gold medal tally on Friday — for the 2004 Summer Olympics.
Cyclist Vyacheslav Yekimov, the second-place finisher in the road race time trial at the Athens games, will be given the gold medal after American Tyler Hamilton on Friday was formally stripped of his gold for having used performance-enhancing drugs, AP reported.
Hamilton admitted last year to having used banned substances, after denying allegations of doping for years.
The silver medal will now be awarded to American Bobby Julich and the bronze to Australian Michael Rogers.
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