The 27-year-old originally finished third in one of the big glamour events at the Games in the Chinese capital but was subsequently upgraded to second following the disqualification of the gold medallist, Rashid Ramzi of Bahrain.

The original silver medal that Willis received had previously been presented to second place finisher Asbel Kiprop of Kenya but showed obvious signs of wear when it arrived to Willis.

The NZOC therefore asked the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to mint a new silver medal for Willis which they agreed to do and sent to New Zealand in the middle of last year.

Instead of picking up the medal straight away, Willis expressed a wish to be presented with the medal in front of a strong home crowd so a presentation for him will now occur in front of an expected crowd of more than 5,000.

Willis revealed that he was delighted when the presentation ceremony details were confirmed.

"Having the medal presented here will be a great honour," he said.

"Considering the circumstances that have led to this point, I couldn't think of a more fitting way to celebrate the experience I had that night in Beijing.
"To share the medal with the country is what motivated me down that home straight run, and now I get to share the medal ceremony with everyone back home."

Kereyn Smith, the secretary general of the NZOC, was pleased that Willis' achievement will be recognised publicly.

"After a long wait, we are delighted to be able to present this very special medal to Nick in front of his New Zealand friends and family and an enthusiastic crowd," she said.

Meet director Craig Motley added that the occasion will be a unique event in New Zealand sporting history as the first, and possibly only time, that an Olympic medal will be presented in New Zealand.

"It will get the meet off to a roaring start, and get the crowd pumped up for an exciting evening of track and field action, with New Zealand's best athletes taking on the world," said Motley.

Willis is set to compete over the 1500m distance at the meet.

He will be looking to secure victory on a special night for him in front of the home crowd, and also aiming to secure a qualifying time for the World Championships in Dageu, South Korea, this August.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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July 2009: Olympic champion faces doping hearing