Tunisia’s Habiba Ghribi has officially been presented with the Olympic and world 3,000m steeplechase gold medals stripped from Russian doping cheat Yuliya Zaripova ©Getty Images

Tunisia’s Habiba Ghribi has officially been presented with the Olympic and world 3,000 metres steeplechase gold medals stripped from Russian doping cheat Yuliya Zaripova.

Ghribi won the silver at the London 2012 Olympic Games and the 2011 World Athletics Championships in Daegu, finishing behind Zaripova on each occasion.

Zaripova was sanctioned in January 2015 due to anomalies in her athlete biological passport.

Her results from June 20, 2011 to August 20, 2011 and July 3, 2012 to September 3, 2012 were annulled and she was banned from competition for two years and six months from July 25, 2013.

The presentation of the gold medals to Ghribi took place in Rades, near Tunisia’s capital Tunis, during the Under-23 Mediterranean Games with International Olympic Committee vice-president Nawal el Moutawakel in attendance.

"I'm acquiring two medals that are very prestigious for me and for Tunisia," said the 32-year-old.

El Moutawakel, winner of the Olympic gold medals in the 400 metres hurdles at Los Angeles 1984, said: "It's very important to present this Olympic medal, that is so well deserved, to Habiba, here in her country."

Russia's Yuliya Zaripova beat Habiba Ghribi to the women's 3,000 metres steeplechase Olympic gold medal at London 2012 but was banned for doping in January 2015 ©Getty Images
Russia's Yuliya Zaripova beat Habiba Ghribi to the women's 3,000 metres steeplechase Olympic gold medal at London 2012 but was banned for doping in January 2015 ©Getty Images

The presentation comes less than three months after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled in favour of the appeal by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) against what it considered to be lenient sanctions handed out by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA).

The IAAF accused RUSADA of being selective in the disqualification of Zaripova’s results, annulling her Olympic gold medal but not her 2011 World Championships gold.

Five other Russian athletes were also named in the IAAF appeal, including Olympic 50 kilometres walking champion Sergey Kirdyapkin.

Kirdyapkin and fellow race walkers Valeriy Borchin, Sergey Bakulin, Olga Kaniskina and Vladimir Kanaykin were suspended in January 2015, the latter receiving a life ban for repeat offences.

Athletics' world governing body also considered them to have been treated too leniently by RUSADA.

Zaripova has now told Russian news agency TASS she intends to take up triathlon following her suspension.

"Goals in triathlon are the same as in athletics - Olympic Games," she said. 

insidethegames has contacted the International Triathlon Union for a comment on whether she would be eligible to compete.