| | Event type

Shot Put, Women

Date	6 August 2012
Status	Olympic
Location	Olympic Stadium, Olympic Park, Stratford, London
Participants	32 from 21 countries

New Zealander Valerie Adams (formerly Valerie Vili) came in as the clear favorite, having won the gold medal at Beijing, the last three World titles, and gold at the 2006 and 2010 Commonwealth Games. Her biggest competition was expected to come from Belarussian Nadezhda Ostapchuk, the 2005 World Champion and bronze medalist at the 2008 Olympics. Both qualified easily, with Ostapchuk posting 20.76, the longest ever qualifying mark.

Adams took the lead in the first round of the final with 20.61, Ostapchuk posting only 20.01. But in round two Ostapchuk improved to 21.31, and Adams could never match that, her best mark being 20.70 in round three. Ostapchuk would post four throws over 21 metres, with a best of 21.36 in round three, and seemingly won the gold medal. Behind the two favorites, Russian Yevgeniya Kolodko was in fifth place entering the final round, but came through with 20.48 for what seemed to be a bronze medal, edging out Chinese putter Gong Lijiao.

One week later all the results changed. Ostapchuk had tested positive for the steroid metenolone the day before and the day after the final, and she was disqualified. This gave Adams her second consecutive gold medal, and temporarily moved Kolodko up to silver, moving Gong up to a bronze medal. Adams became only the second woman to win two Olympic shot golds, after Soviet Tamara Press in 1960-64.

That was not the end of the results shuffle in this event. In 2015, the IOC began re-testing samples from the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympics, using newer, more advanced testing techniques, in an effort to find those who had used performance enhancing drugs (PEDs), but in whom it could not be detected at the time of those Olympics. This was one of the many events affected.

In August 2016 Yevgeniya Kolodko was disqualified for a re-test positive for turinabol (dehydrochloromethyltestosterone) and ipamorelin, and lost the silver medal to which she had been re-assigned. The silver and bronze medals were eventually given to the Chinese athletes Gong Lijiao and Li Ling, respectively. In January 2017 Ostapchuk also lost her bronze medal from the 2008 Beijing Olympics, after testing positive for turinabol (dehydrochloromethyltestosterone) and tamoxifen.

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Qualifying	Final
1	2613	Valerie Adams	NZL	20.40 (1)	20.70 (1)	Gold
2	1374	Gong Lijiao	CHN	19.11 (3)	20.22 (2)	Silver
3	1377	Li Ling	CHN	19.23 (2)	19.63 (3)	Bronze
4	3276	Michelle Carter	USA	18.63 (5)	19.42 (4)
5	1383	Liu Xiangrong	CHN	18.96 (4)	19.18 (5)
6	1233	Geisa Arcanjo	BRA	18.47 (8)	19.02 (6)
7	1337	Natalia Ducó	CHI	18.45 (9)	18.80 (7)
8	1964	Christina Schwanitz	GER	18.62 (6)	18.47 (8)
9	1190	Natallia Mikhnevich	BLR	18.60 (7)	18.42 (9)
10	3057	Cleopatra Borel	TTO	18.36 (10)	–
11	1941	Nadine Kleinert	GER	18.36 (11)	–
12	2160	Chiara Rosa	ITA	18.30 (12)	–
13	3274	Jill Camarena-Williams	USA	18.22 (13)	–
14	1657	Úrsula Ruiz	ESP	17.99 (14)	–
15	1195	Yanina Pravalinskaya-Karolchyk	BLR	17.87 (15)	–
16	1970	Josephine Terlecki	GER	17.78 (16)	–
17	3271	Tia Brooks	USA	17.72 (17)	–
18	1496	Misleydis González	CUB	17.68 (18)	–
19	2089	Leyla Rajabi	IRI	17.55 (19)	–
20	1312	Julie Labonté	CAN	17.48 (20)	–
21	2057	Anita Márton	HUN	17.48 (21)	–
22	2845	Anna Avdeyeva	RUS	17.47 (22)	–
23	3035	Lin Chia-Ying	TPE	17.43 (23)	–
24	1507	Mailín Vargas	CUB	16.76 (24)	–
25	1434	Sandra Lemos	COL	16.50 (25)	–
26	2278	Aleksandra Fisher	KAZ	16.16 (26)	–
27	3019	Ana Po'uhila	TGA	15.80 (27)	–
28	3338	Yelena Smolyanova	UZB	14.43 (28)	–
NM	1269	Radoslava Mavrodieva	BUL	– (NM)	–
DQ	1193	Nadzeya Astapchuk	BLR	[20.76] (DQ)	[21.36] (DQ)		1
DQ	2870	Yevgeniya Kolodko	RUS	[19.31] (DQ)	[20.48] (DQ)		2
DQ	2898	Irina Tarasova	RUS	[18.76] (DQ)	[19.00] (DQ)		3

Qualifying Round

Date	6 August 2012 — 10:45
Format	Top 12 and ties and all those reaching 18.45 metres advanced to the final round.

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Distance	2nd-Best Mark Distance
1	2613	Valerie Adams	NZL	20.40	–	Q
2	1377	Li Ling	CHN	19.23	–	Q
3	1374	Gong Lijiao	CHN	19.11	–	Q
4	1383	Liu Xiangrong	CHN	18.96	–	Q
5	3276	Michelle Carter	USA	18.63	–	q
6	1964	Christina Schwanitz	GER	18.62	–	q
7	1190	Natallia Mikhnevich	BLR	18.60	–	q
8	1233	Geisa Arcanjo	BRA	18.47	–	q
9	1337	Natalia Ducó	CHI	18.45	–	q
10	3057	Cleopatra Borel	TTO	18.36	18.34
11	1941	Nadine Kleinert	GER	18.36	18.06
12	2160	Chiara Rosa	ITA	18.30	–
13	3274	Jill Camarena-Williams	USA	18.22	–
14	1657	Úrsula Ruiz	ESP	17.99	–
15	1195	Yanina Pravalinskaya-Karolchyk	BLR	17.87	–
16	1970	Josephine Terlecki	GER	17.78	–
17	3271	Tia Brooks	USA	17.72	–
18	1496	Misleydis González	CUB	17.68	–
19	2089	Leyla Rajabi	IRI	17.55	–
20	1312	Julie Labonté	CAN	17.48	17.32
21	2057	Anita Márton	HUN	17.48	17.04
22	2845	Anna Avdeyeva	RUS	17.47	–
23	3035	Lin Chia-Ying	TPE	17.43	–
24	1507	Mailín Vargas	CUB	16.76	–
25	1434	Sandra Lemos	COL	16.50	–
26	2278	Aleksandra Fisher	KAZ	16.16	–
27	3019	Ana Po'uhila	TGA	15.80	–
28	3338	Yelena Smolyanova	UZB	14.43	–
NM	1269	Radoslava Mavrodieva	BUL	–	–
DQ	1193	Nadzeya Astapchuk	BLR	[20.76]	–	Q	4
DQ	2870	Yevgeniya Kolodko	RUS	[19.31]	–	Q	5
DQ	2898	Irina Tarasova	RUS	[18.76]	–		6

Group A

Date	6 August 2012 — 10:45

Pos	Start Order	Competitor	NOC	Distance	2nd-Best Mark Distance	Round #1 Distance	Round #2 Distance	Round #3 Distance
1	16	Valerie Adams	NZL	20.40	–	x	20.40	p
2	3	Li Ling	CHN	19.23	–	18.86	19.23	p
3	15	Michelle Carter	USA	18.63	–	18.27	18.63	x
4	11	Christina Schwanitz	GER	18.62	–	18.44	18.43	18.62
5	8	Cleopatra Borel	TTO	18.36	–	18.26	18.36	18.34
6	13	Chiara Rosa	ITA	18.30	–	17.91	18.14	18.30
7	14	Jill Camarena-Williams	USA	18.22	–	18.22	17.99	17.51
8	6	Josephine Terlecki	GER	17.78	–	17.78	x	17.73
9	12	Leyla Rajabi	IRI	17.55	–	17.17	17.55	17.42
10	5	Julie Labonté	CAN	17.48	17.32	17.48	17.32	x
11	9	Anita Márton	HUN	17.48	17.04	16.29	17.04	17.48
12	2	Anna Avdeyeva	RUS	17.47	–	17.47	x	x
13	1	Mailín Vargas	CUB	16.76	–	16.76	16.64	x
14	4	Sandra Lemos	COL	16.50	–	16.50	16.07	x
15	7	Aleksandra Fisher	KAZ	16.16	–	15.84	16.16	x
DQ	10	Nadzeya Astapchuk	BLR	[20.76]	–	[20.76]	[p]	[p]	7

Group B

Date	6 August 2012 — 10:45

Pos	Start Order	Competitor	NOC	Distance	Round #1 Distance	Round #2 Distance	Round #3 Distance
1	11	Gong Lijiao	CHN	19.11	19.11	p	p
2	2	Liu Xiangrong	CHN	18.96	18.87	18.96	p
3	15	Natallia Mikhnevich	BLR	18.60	18.60	18.12	18.30
4	4	Geisa Arcanjo	BRA	18.47	x	18.47	18.33
5	8	Natalia Ducó	CHI	18.45	18.45	18.23	18.17
6	12	Nadine Kleinert	GER	18.36	x	18.06	18.36
7	3	Úrsula Ruiz	ESP	17.99	17.99	x	x
8	7	Yanina Pravalinskaya-Karolchyk	BLR	17.87	17.68	17.87	17.69
9	13	Tia Brooks	USA	17.72	17.21	17.72	17.29
10	16	Misleydis González	CUB	17.68	17.68	17.61	17.35
11	14	Lin Chia-Ying	TPE	17.43	16.74	17.43	x
12	1	Ana Po'uhila	TGA	15.80	15.80	15.75	15.11
13	5	Yelena Smolyanova	UZB	14.43	14.35	14.43	p
NM	9	Radoslava Mavrodieva	BUL	–	x	x	x
DQ	6	Yevgeniya Kolodko	RUS	[19.31]	[19.31]	[p]	[p]	8
DQ	10	Irina Tarasova	RUS	[18.76]	[18.55]	[18.59]	[18.76]	9

Final Round

Date	6 August 2012 — 19:15

Pos	Start Order	Competitor	NOC	Distance	Round #1 Distance	Round #2 Distance	Round #3 Distance	Round #4 Distance	Round #5 Distance	Round #6 Distance
1	8 / 7	Valerie Adams	NZL	20.70	20.61	x	20.70	x	x	20.24
2	7 / 6	Gong Lijiao	CHN	20.22	20.13	19.67	19.91	19.76	20.22	20.00
3	9 / 4	Li Ling	CHN	19.63	18.87	18.77	19.28	x	19.63	19.58
4	10 / 2	Michelle Carter	USA	19.42	19.05	18.83	18.92	19.42	19.12	18.88
5	1 / 3	Liu Xiangrong	CHN	19.18	19.18	18.88	18.74	x	18.47	18.77
6	6 / 1	Geisa Arcanjo	BRA	19.02	18.27	x	19.02	x	x	17.19
7	12	Natalia Ducó	CHI	18.80	18.80	18.70	18.62	–	–	–
8	4	Christina Schwanitz	GER	18.47	18.20	18.47	x	–	–	–
9	5	Natallia Mikhnevich	BLR	18.42	18.42	x	18.27	–	–	–
DQ	11 / 8	Nadzeya Astapchuk	BLR	[21.36]	[20.01]	[21.31]	[21.36]	[21.15]	[21.32]	[x]	10
DQ	3 / 5	Yevgeniya Kolodko	RUS	[20.48]	[19.45]	[19.52]	[x]	[x]	[x]	[20.48]	11
DQ	2	Irina Tarasova	RUS	[19.00]	[19.00]	[18.80]	[x]	–	–	–	12