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Olympic skier Fanny Smith received her bronze medal a whole year after appealing the controversial finish to her race at the 2022 Games. The Swiss star was competing in the women's ski cross final in Beijing four years ago, in what was her fourth Olympics appearance.

Smith, who was 29 years old at the time, finished in third but was stunningly stripped of her podium position due to a controversial decision. She was furious with the demotion, with her reaction being captured live on television. Upon the announcement that she would be relegated into fourth, the skier could be heard shouting: "Who's the f****** judge?" Her removal from the podium places was due to allegedly clashing with German skier Daniela Maier.

However, footage showed that Smith was not at fault for the collision. Instead, the Swiss athlete was impeded by Canada's Marielle Thompson. Despite the footage, it was Smith who was penalised, while Thompson remained unsanctioned and went on to claim the silver medal.

The demotion also led Maier to capture the bronze medal in place of Smith, but Maier's sportsmanship meant she backed Smith and said the decision to punish her was wrong. After learning of her opponent's yellow card, the German said: "What? What? What? No! No, no, no, no, no! This was correct! This was totally normal skiing."

In the midst of the shocking scenes, Smith maintained her innocence, stating: "I had to do it like this because Marielle was in between." The judge retorted: "We had a look at it..." An irate Smith responded: "No! This is a joke!" The dispute with the officials continued as the judge added: "We looked at it several times, you go too far with your ski..." Smith remained unyielding in her stance, asserting: "But this wasn't on purpose! My ski was on the edge. Does this judge know how to ski? They have no idea."

Maier held firm in her belief that Smith should not have been deprived of the bronze, before the incensed skier continued: "Look, she also says this is unfair. We are the riders! That's totally wrong." Finally, vindication came for Smith when, nine days after the race, she was rightfully awarded the bronze medal following an appeal lodged by her and the Swiss ski federation. Despite the revised result, a full year passed before Smith could physically receive her medal.

When the special moment finally arrived, she took to Instagram. Alongside photos of her celebrating with the medal, she wrote: "Here she is! So many emotions to finally hold my Olympic bronze medal I won in @Beijing in my hands.

"Really honored to have received from the hands of the IOC President Thomas Bach. It has been a long journey to get here, but in the end it was a very special moment to be able to share this moment with my family, friends, team and partners - because normally it wouldn't have been possible at the Olympics.

"Thank you to everybody who came to the ceremony, making an amazing atmosphere filled with love and support. " The International Ski Federation said in a statement: "The Appeals Commission found that the close proximity of the racers at that moment resulted in action that was neither intentional or avoidable." Smith is now set to compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics this month in an aim to claim a second consecutive medal.