Turkish medalist Elvan Abeylegesse among 28 positive tests

She admitted a retrospective medal would not quite make up for the excitement of being rewarded for her achievement on the podium.

Meanwhile, the Turkish Athletics Federation has said that Abeylegesse has been left of the World Championship squad for, ahem, “injury reasons”.

Though the federation did not identify the athletes, Turkish officials have confirmed that two-time Olympic silver medalist Elvan Abeylegesse is on the list. “My emotions are all over the place”.

However, given the eight-year gap between the race and the retesting of 28 samples taken between 2005 and 2007, Pavey has indicated that the revelations about Abeylegesse are bittersweet.

Pavey won her first global title at the 10,000m last summer at the European Championships in Zurich, as well as bronze medal earlier in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, but the medal would be her first on the global stage. “Thank you for all the nice messages”.

Ethiopian-born Abeylegesse, 32, is still competing but has been withdrawn from this month’s World Championships in Beijing.

German TV network ARD and British newspaper the Sunday Times reported that a leaked IAAF database with 12,000 blood tests from around 5,000 runners suggests that a third of medallists in endurance events at Olympics and worlds between 2001 and 2012 had suspicious readings. If the same substance is detected, she will be sanctioned and prohibited from taking part in sport for two years.

The names of the athletes concerned will not be given until the investigation is completed. The BBC said the samples returned “adverse findings”.