Athletics at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Women's shot put

Each athlete received three throws in the qualifying round. All who achieved the qualifying distance progressed to the final. If less than twelve athletes would achieve this mark, then the twelve furthest throwing athletes would reach the final. Each finalist was allowed three throws in last round, with the top eight athletes after that point being given three further attempts.[3]

In the finals, Valerie Adams, the defending champion, took the lead in the first throw, but Nadzeya Ostapchuk, who was third in the 2008 Olympic competition, overtook the lead in the second throw and remained the leader until the end of the competition. Gong Lijiao remained third until the last throw, when she was overtaken by Yevgeniya Kolodko. The 2008 silver medalist, Natallia Mikhnevich, qualified for the final, but remained in last place.

On 13 August 2012, IOC announced that Nadzeya Ostapchuk had tested positive for metenolone both before and after winning the shot put event.[4] She was formally expelled from the games and her victory and medal removed from the records. The gold medal was then awarded to Valerie Adams, the silver to Yevgeniya Kolodko, and the bronze to Gong Lijiao.[5]

On 20 August 2016, the IOC announced Yevgeniya Kolodko, the Russian silver medalist, failed anti-doping test and her silver medal was stripped. [6] Gong Lijiao ended up with the silver instead and a compatriot, Li Ling was upgraded to the bronze medal.

All times are British Summer Time (UTC+1)

Prior to the competition, the existing World and Olympic records were as follows.

World record	Natalya Lisovskaya (URS)	22.63 m	Moscow, Soviet Union	7 June 1987
Olympic record	Ilona Slupianek (GDR)	22.41 m	Moscow, Soviet Union	24 July 1980
2012 World leading	Nadzeya Ostapchuk (BLR)	21.58 m	Minsk, Belarus	18 July 2012

[8]

Rank	Name	Nationality	#1	#2	#3	#4	#5	#6	Result	Notes
	Valerie Adams	New Zealand	20.61	X	20.70	X	X	20.24	20.70
	Gong Lijiao	China	20.13	19.67	19.91	19.76	20.22	20.00	20.22	SB
	Li Ling	China	18.87	18.77	19.28	X	19.63	19.58	19.63
4	Michelle Carter	United States	19.05	18.83	18.92	19.42	19.12	18.88	19.42
5	Liu Xiangrong	China	19.18	18.88	18.74	X	18.47	18.77	19.18
6	Geisa Arcanjo	Brazil	18.27	X	19.02	X	X	17.19	19.02	PB
7	Natalia Ducó	Chile	18.80	18.70	18.62	—	—	—	18.80	NR
8	Christina Schwanitz	Germany	18.20	18.47	X	—	—	—	18.47
9	Natallia Mikhnevich	Belarus	18.42	X	18.27	—	—	—	18.42
—	Nadzeya Ostapchuk	Belarus	20.01	21.31	21.36	21.15	21.32	X	21.36	DQ (Doping)
—	Yevgeniya Kolodko	Russia	19.45	19.52	X	X	X	20.48	20.48	DQ (Doping)
—	Irina Tarasova	Russia	19.00	18.80	X	—	—	—	19.00	DQ (Doping)

Notes: Nadzeya Ostapchuk, Yevgeniya Kolodko and Irina Tarasova originally placed first, third and ninth, respectively, but had these results annulled due to doping violations.