Discus Throw, Women

The favorite was Croatian Sandra Perković, who had been the most consistent thrower throughout the year and had already won the 2012 European title. She had also won the 2010 Europeans but had been popped for PEDs (a stimulant) and served a six-month doping suspension in 2011. The 2011 World Champion was China’s Li Yanfeng, who was expected to contend, along with German Nadine Müller, silver medalist at Daegu in 2011, and Russian Darya Pishchalnikova, the 2006 European Champion, also returning from a two-year drug suspension when she and six other Russian athletes were found to have manipulated their drug testing samples in 2010. Perković had won 9 of 10 meets in 2012, but Pishchalnikova came into form late, with marks of 70.69, the world’s longest throw in 20 years, and 69.34 in her last two meets. Defending champion Stephanie Brown-Trafton of the United States was back in the final, but was a medal longshot.

Müller led the first round of the final with a toss of 65.71, Pishchalnikova in second and Perković in third. In the second round Li took the lead with 67.22, but four throws later, Perković got the platter out to 68.11, a mark that would be good enough for gold. But she would improve it, tossing 69.11 in round three, the eventual winning mark. Li was second through four rounds with Pishchalnikova moving up to third place in that round. But in round five she improved to 67.56 which would win her the silver medal, Li taking bronze. Müller improved her opener in round six with 65.94 but it was only good enough for fifth place. Brown-Trafton was never a factor and placed eighth. Perković’s gold medal was the first athletics gold medal for Croatia as an independent nation.

In February 2013 it was revealed that the original silver medalist in this event, Russian Darya Pishchalnikova, had tested positive before the London Olympics, in May 2012, for oxandrolone. She was disqualified and lost her silver medal, which went to China’s Li Yanfeng, with the bronze medal re-assigned to Cuban Yarelis Barrios.

Barrios had initially won a silver medal in this event at Beijing in 2008, but during IOC re-testing of the samples from the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, in September 2016, she was revealed to have a positive re-test for acetazolamide, and was disqualified, losing her silver medal.