A dozen years after competing in what turned out to be his last Olympic Games, former South Korean weightlifter Jeon Sang-guen received his bronze medal in a ceremony in Paris, Friday.

In a special ceremony by the Eiffel Tower on the sidelines of the 33rd Olympic Games, Jeon was belatedly presented with the bronze medal from the men’s +105-kilogram event at the 2012 London Olympics.

Jeon, now 43 and long retired from the sport, originally placed fourth with a total of 436kg. Ruslan Albegov of Russia had taken the bronze medal at 448kg.

However, Albegov was stripped of that medal in March this year due to doping, and the International Olympic Committee’s Executive Board approved the reallocation of the medal that same month.

Jeon, decked out in a black suit, received a thunderous ovation from the crowd gathered at the Champions Park near the iconic tower.

“I was worried that this wouldn’t feel the same as the Olympic Games from 12 years ago. But it was nice to be out here today,” Jeon said with a 스포츠 smile. “I am usually pretty shy, and I didn’t think I would do much to celebrate. But when people cheered, my arms just went up. I celebrated with confidence.”

Jeon now works at the Korea Minting, Security Printing & ID Card Operating Corp (KOMSCO). He first served as head coach of KOMSCO’s corporate weightlifting team, but after the team disbanded in 2014, Jeon took an office job at the state-run minting agency.

Jeon said he had accepted his defeat at the London Games, where he had been regarded as a medal contender, and he had long put his disappointment out of his mind.