This time, perhaps for the first time, Australian walker Jared Tallent can smile - and really mean it - on the podium.
The remarkably consistent Tallent won his sixth major medal on Saturday with silver in the 50km at the world championships.
None of those medals has been of the golden variety - although he remains hopeful of being belatedly promoted to first place in the 50km race at the London Olympics, having being edged out there by convicted drug cheat Sergey Kirdyapkin.
With the disgraced Russian walking squad absent from the Beijing world titles after more drug scandals, there were no such caveats this time around.
Tallent's some-time training partner Matej Toth from Slovakia took the gold in three hours 40 minutes and 32 seconds ahead of the Australian in 3:42:17, with the bronze going to Japan's Tatayuki Tanii.
"It's not the gold I wanted, but to be beaten by Matej, I know he's a clean athlete so it's not a bad result," said the 30-year-old Tallent.
"I'm really proud of the result I got today and the Japanese guy came third.
"So it's the first time in a long time in the 50K we've had a clean podium.
"I'll be pretty happy when I'm standing on the podium with those guys.
"It's a good day for the sport, it's been a really good week for the sport actually.
"I'd hope to think that every athlete who has won a medal has worked hard for it and it's a good positive sign in 2015 that things are starting to change."
Toth set a cracking pace early in the race, with Tallent careful not to chase too hard on another hot Beijing morning.
He sensed a chance when the Slovakian disappeared from sight shortly past the midway point, but it turned out to be a false alarm.
"I didn't know he went to the toilet so I thought he was starting to blow up," said Tallent.
"I went for it then and got away from the group but I noticed he was still looking strong and actually getting away again."
Chris Erickson recorded his best major championships result of 13th before revealing that he and Tallent were among a large group of athletes who were planning to boycott next year's World Race Walking Cup in Cheboksary in protest at the ongoing doping issues in Russian walking.
"It's a really big shame that the IAAF, even with these problems, have still pushed ahead with holding the World Cup in Russia next year," said Tallent, who acknowledged that his stance would compromise his preparation for the Rio Olympics.
"It's really disrespectful to all the clean athletes.
"It has made a lot of us angry.
"Why would any athlete want to go and compete in Russia at a World Cup?"
Australia's only other medal in Beijing has been the silver by Fabrice Lapierre in the men's long jump.
In other action on Saturday morning, Australia was eliminated in the women's 4x400m relay after finishing sixth in the opening heat.
JARED TALLENT'S MAJOR MEDALS
* Olympic silver in the 50km in 2008 and 2012 (2012 result may still be promoted to gold)
* Olympic bronze in the 20km in 2008
* World championships silver in the 50km in 2015
* World championships bronze in the 50km in 2011 and 2013
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