Super-Heavyweight (>75 kilograms), Women

Zhou Lulu of China, the world record holder in total points, reigning World Champion, and silver medalist at the 2011 Asian Championships, was the favorite to take gold in the women’s super-heavyweight weightlifting event at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Close on her heels was Tatyana Kashirina of Russia, world record holder in the snatch, World Champion in 2010 and runner-up in 2009 and 2011, and European Champion for the last four years. Both would have to contend with Jang Mi-Ran of South Korea who, as the defending Olympic Champion and silver medalist in 2004, held all the Olympic records. Jang was also the 2010 Asian Games Champion and World Champion from 2005 through 2009, although she had strayed somewhat from her peak form since then. Another notable competitor was Ele Opeloge of Samoa who, in 2008, had finished fourth in the event, the highest placement ever for an Olympian representing her nation.

The competition boiled down to an exchange of Olympic and World records between Zhou and Kashirina. Zhou first set an Olympic record with 142 kg, followed by Kashirina’s 144 kg lift, then Zhou’s 146 kg attempt (which took two tries). The Russian then used her next two turns to reset her own world record twice – first with 149 kg, then with 151 kg. By the end of the snatch both were untouchable, as the next highest lift came from Mariam Usman of Nigeria, 2008 African Champion and bronze medalist at the most recent World Championships, and it was only 129 kg. The clean and jerk portion played out similarly: Zhou set an Olympic record for total lift and Kashirina bested it by setting a world record of 332. Zhou then set an Olympic record in the clean and jerk with a 187 kg lift and upped the world record for total points to 333. The Russian was unable to respond and remained in second place, with Zhou still having one lift remaining. Now guaranteed gold, Zhou attempted 190 kg, more than sufficient to set a world record in the clean and jerk, but was unsuccessful. Meanwhile, after Usman was unable to lift 160 kg in three attempts, therefore failing to post a score, the bronze medal went to Hripsime Khurshudyan of Armenia, who had been fourth in the snatch and lifted the highest total, after Zhou and Kashirina, in the clean and jerk with 166 kg. Khurshudyan was normally a heavyweight competitor, the division in which she earned a world bronze medal in 2009, and had a slew of European medals, including bronze in 2010, silver in 2006, 2009, and 2011 (in the super-heavyweight), and gold in 2007.

That was how the event and the results seemed to have ended. In 2015, however, 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. Every women’s weightlifting event at the 2012 London Olympics, except flyweight (≤ 48 kg), was affected by positive re-tests.

In November 2016 original bronze medalist Hripsime Khurshudyan (ARM) tested positive for turinabol (dehydrochloromethyltestosterone) and stanozolol, was disqualified, and lost her bronze medal, which was re-assigned to Korea’s Jang Mi-Ran. Khurshudyan’s re-tested sample from the 2008 Beijing Olympics was also positive for stanozolol and she was disqualified in that event as well.