CULVER CITY, Calif. (KABC) — Track and field star Lacinda Demas has been helping mentor student-athletes at Culver City High School for the past seven years.
“It's a lot of fun helping other kids achieve their sports goals and their life goals,” Demas said.
“Racinda has a wealth of knowledge, passion and love for track and field,” boys track and field coach Jamal Wright said.
But despite her passion for the sport, becoming a coach wasn't always part of her plans.
The 41-year-old reflected on winning a silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics, a memory that has become bittersweet for the past 12 years.
“That loss was so hard on me that I had to put it behind me in order to move forward in life,” Demas said.
Demas was 29 years old at the time and said the 400m hurdles would be her final Olympic event.
“I raced against Natalia Antchuk from Russia and she won by 0.07 seconds,” Demuth said.
But she didn't know that day that her gold medal had been taken away.
“The people watching saw everything I had, and now it turns out it was a doping charge,” Demas said.
Demas said she didn't know about the doping allegations until last year. She immediately contacted a lawyer, and 12 years later, she will finally receive her long-awaited gold medal at the medal redistribution ceremony on August 9 at the Paris Olympics.
“My younger sons have no idea what I've done, so I get to take all of them to the Olympics,” Demas said.
Demas said the achievement is more than just a medal, it is a reflection of her dedication and hard work as an athlete and a reminder that integrity in sport must be upheld.
“I'm grateful that they tried to run the sport with integrity and that justice was served,” Demas said.
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