| | Event type

Shot Put, Men

Date	26 July 1996
Status	Olympic
Location	Centennial Olympic Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
Participants	36 from 24 countries

Randy Barnes had set the world record of 23.12 (75-10¼) in 1990 and had the year’s best throw of 22.40 (73-6), and was favored. But he struggled in the final. He opened with only 19.46 (63-10¼), as Oleksandr Bahach (UKR) led the first round with 20.41 (66-11½). Barnes got 20.44 (67-0¾) in round two, but the lead was taken by Italy’s Paolo Dal Soglio with 20.65 (67-9), and Bagach improved to 20.50 (67-3¼). American John Godina came thru in the fourth and fifth rounds with 20.64 (67-8¾) and 20.79 (68-2½), to move into the lead in round five. Barnes was only in fourth place heading into the final round, but he produced – tossing the shot 21.62 (70-11¼) for the gold medal. Bagach also improved, bumping Dal Soglio out of the medals with 20.75 (68-1). In May 1990, Barnes had tested positive for methyltestosterone and was banned for two years. In April 1998, he tested positive for androstenedione and was banned for life. The life ban was controversial as androstenedione was an over-the-counter supplement in the United States and was not a banned drug internationally until a few months before Barnes’s positive test. He readily admitted taking it, not knowing it was banned. It was the same drug taken by major league home run king Mark McGwire, who also admitted to taking it. Bronze medalist Bagach also was subsequently banned for life. He had tested positive in 1989 for testosterone, tested positive for ephedrine in 1997 at the World Championships, and was banned for life in 2000 after a positive doping test for anabolic steroids.

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Qualifying	Final
1	2329	Randy Barnes	USA	20.42 (4)	21.62 (1)	Gold
2	2353	John Godina	USA	20.54 (2)	20.79 (2)	Silver
3	2302	Oleksandr Bahach	UKR	20.23 (5)	20.75 (3)	Bronze
4	1700	Paolo Dal Soglio	ITA	20.58 (1)	20.74 (4)
5	1534	Oliver-Sven Buder	GER	20.43 (3)	20.51 (5)
6	2323	Roman Virastiuk	UKR	19.81 (7)	20.45 (6)
7	2364	C. J. Hunter	USA	19.95 (6)	20.39 (7)
8	2442	Dragan Perić	SCG	19.61 (8)	20.07 (8)
9	1130	Dzmitry Hancharuk	BLR	19.57 (9)	19.79 (9)
10	2096	Bilal Saad Mubarak	QAT	19.39 (12)	19.33 (10)
11	1705	Corrado Fantini	ITA	19.40 (11)	19.30 (11)
AC r2/2	2307	Oleksandr Klymenko	UKR	19.45 (10)	– (NM)
13 r1/2	1579	Dirk Urban	GER	19.39 (13)	–
14 r1/2	1407	Mika Halvari	FIN	19.37 (14)	–
15 r1/2	1355	Manuel Martínez	ESP	19.12 (15)	–
16 r1/2	1563	Michael Mertens	GER	19.07 (16)	–
17 r1/2	2252	Kent Larsson	SWE	19.05 (17)	–
18 r1/2	1409	Arsi Harju	FIN	19.01 (18)	–
19 r1/2	1726	Giorgio Venturi	ITA	18.98 (19)	–
20 r1/2	2151	Yevgeny Palchikov	RUS	18.96 (20)	–
21 r1/2	1308	Miroslav Menc	CZE	18.69 (21)	–
22 r1/2	1222	Gert Weil	CHI	18.67 (22)	–
23 r1/2	2422	Yojer Medina	VEN	18.53 (23)	–
24 r1/2	1294	Ilias Louka	CYP	18.48 (24)	–
25 r1/2	1998	Chima Ugwu	NGR	18.39 (25)	–
26 r1/2	2160	Aleksey Shidlovsky	RUS	18.37 (26)	–
27 r1/2	1503	Shaun Pickering	GBR	18.29 (27)	–
28 r1/2	1295	Michalis Louka	CYP	18.23 (28)	–
29 r1/2	1840	Khaled Al-Khalidi	KSA	18.22 (29)	–
30 r1/2	1892	Saulius Kleiza	LTU	18.21 (30)	–
31 r1/2	1211	Brad Snyder	CAN	17.98 (31)	–
32 r1/2	1126	Viktar Bulat	BLR	17.29 (32)	–
33 r1/2	2411	Sergey Kot	UZB	16.51 (33)	–
34 r1/2	1028	Anthony Leiato	ASA	13.02 (34)	–
AC r1/2	1650	Jenő Kóczián	HUN	– (NM)	–
AC r1/2	1783	Sergey Rubtsov	KAZ	– (NM)	–

Qualifying Round

Date	26 July 1996 — 10:05
Format	Top 12 and ties and all those reaching 19.80 metres advanced to the final.

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Distance	2nd-Best Mark Distance
1	1700	Paolo Dal Soglio	ITA	20.58	–	Q
2	2353	John Godina	USA	20.54	–	Q
3	1534	Oliver-Sven Buder	GER	20.43	–	Q
4	2329	Randy Barnes	USA	20.42	–	Q
5	2302	Oleksandr Bahach	UKR	20.23	–	Q
6	2364	C. J. Hunter	USA	19.95	–	Q
7	2323	Roman Virastiuk	UKR	19.81	–	Q
8	2442	Dragan Perić	SCG	19.61	–	q
9	1130	Dzmitry Hancharuk	BLR	19.57	–	q
10	2307	Oleksandr Klymenko	UKR	19.45	–	q
11	1705	Corrado Fantini	ITA	19.40	–	q
12	2096	Bilal Saad Mubarak	QAT	19.39	19.28	q
13	1579	Dirk Urban	GER	19.39	19.23
14	1407	Mika Halvari	FIN	19.37	–
15	1355	Manuel Martínez	ESP	19.12	–
16	1563	Michael Mertens	GER	19.07	–
17	2252	Kent Larsson	SWE	19.05	–
18	1409	Arsi Harju	FIN	19.01	–
19	1726	Giorgio Venturi	ITA	18.98	–
20	2151	Yevgeny Palchikov	RUS	18.96	–
21	1308	Miroslav Menc	CZE	18.69	–
22	1222	Gert Weil	CHI	18.67	–
23	2422	Yojer Medina	VEN	18.53	–
24	1294	Ilias Louka	CYP	18.48	–
25	1998	Chima Ugwu	NGR	18.39	–
26	2160	Aleksey Shidlovsky	RUS	18.37	–
27	1503	Shaun Pickering	GBR	18.29	–
28	1295	Michalis Louka	CYP	18.23	–
29	1840	Khaled Al-Khalidi	KSA	18.22	–
30	1892	Saulius Kleiza	LTU	18.21	–
31	1211	Brad Snyder	CAN	17.98	–
32	1126	Viktar Bulat	BLR	17.29	–
33	2411	Sergey Kot	UZB	16.51	–
34	1028	Anthony Leiato	ASA	13.02	–
NM	1650	Jenő Kóczián	HUN	–	–
NM	1783	Sergey Rubtsov	KAZ	–	–

Group A

Date	26 July 1996

Pos	Start Order	Competitor	NOC	Distance	Round #1 Distance	Round #2 Distance	Round #3 Distance
1	1534	Oliver-Sven Buder	GER	20.43	19.76	20.43	-
2	2329	Randy Barnes	USA	20.42	x	19.70	20.42
3	2323	Roman Virastiuk	UKR	19.81	19.81	-	-
4	2442	Dragan Perić	SCG	19.61	19.61	x	19.61
5	1130	Dzmitry Hancharuk	BLR	19.57	19.57	x	19.17
6	1705	Corrado Fantini	ITA	19.40	18.63	19.40	19.00
7	1355	Manuel Martínez	ESP	19.12	19.12	18.93	18.90
8	1563	Michael Mertens	GER	19.07	18.57	18.90	19.07
9	2252	Kent Larsson	SWE	19.05	18.60	18.86	19.05
10	1409	Arsi Harju	FIN	19.01	18.56	19.01	x
11	1726	Giorgio Venturi	ITA	18.98	18.60	18.98	18.52
12	1294	Ilias Louka	CYP	18.48	18.48	17.98	x
13	1998	Chima Ugwu	NGR	18.39	18.39	18.35	18.33
14	2160	Aleksey Shidlovsky	RUS	18.37	17.84	18.34	18.37
15	1892	Saulius Kleiza	LTU	18.21	18.08	18.21	18.18
16	1028	Anthony Leiato	ASA	13.02	12.28	x	13.02
NM	1650	Jenő Kóczián	HUN	–	x	x	x
NM	1783	Sergey Rubtsov	KAZ	–	x	-	-

Group B

Date	26 July 1996

Pos	Start Order	Competitor	NOC	Distance	2nd-Best Mark Distance	Round #1 Distance	Round #2 Distance	Round #3 Distance
1	1700	Paolo Dal Soglio	ITA	20.58	–	19.43	20.58	-
2	2353	John Godina	USA	20.54	–	20.54	-	-
3	2302	Oleksandr Bahach	UKR	20.23	–	20.23	-	-
4	2364	C. J. Hunter	USA	19.95	–	19.95	-	-
5	2307	Oleksandr Klymenko	UKR	19.45	–	19.11	19.45	x
6	2096	Bilal Saad Mubarak	QAT	19.39	19.28	19.39	19.23	19.28
7	1579	Dirk Urban	GER	19.39	19.23	19.39	18.82	19.23
8	1407	Mika Halvari	FIN	19.37	–	19.37	x	18.78
9	2151	Yevgeny Palchikov	RUS	18.96	–	18.75	18.83	18.96
10	1308	Miroslav Menc	CZE	18.69	–	18.69	18.13	18.42
11	1222	Gert Weil	CHI	18.67	–	18.64	18.67	18.58
12	2422	Yojer Medina	VEN	18.53	–	x	18.49	18.53
13	1503	Shaun Pickering	GBR	18.29	–	18.29	18.23	17.45
14	1295	Michalis Louka	CYP	18.23	–	18.23	18.03	18.12
15	1840	Khaled Al-Khalidi	KSA	18.22	–	18.22	x	17.83
16	1211	Brad Snyder	CAN	17.98	–	17.98	x	x
17	1126	Viktar Bulat	BLR	17.29	–	16.70	16.67	17.29
18	2411	Sergey Kot	UZB	16.51	–	16.51	x	16.05

Final Round

Date	26 July 1996 — 20:00

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	2329	Randy Barnes	USA	21.62	19.46	20.44	x	20.26	20.32	21.62
2	2353	John Godina	USA	20.79	x	19.91	19.98	20.64	20.79	x
3	2302	Oleksandr Bahach	UKR	20.75	20.41	20.50	20.29	x	x	20.75
4	1700	Paolo Dal Soglio	ITA	20.74	20.12	20.65	19.92	20.74	20.60	x
5	1534	Oliver-Sven Buder	GER	20.51	20.16	19.92	20.37	20.13	20.51	19.71
6	2323	Roman Virastiuk	UKR	20.45	19.46	19.86	20.32	20.21	20.45	x
7	2364	C. J. Hunter	USA	20.39	19.99	20.09	20.39	x	20.25	20.35
8	2442	Dragan Perić	SCG	20.07	19.66	19.75	19.98	x	x	20.07
9	1130	Dzmitry Hancharuk	BLR	19.79	x	19.79	x	–	–	–
10	2096	Bilal Saad Mubarak	QAT	19.33	19.11	19.33	x	–	–	–
11	1705	Corrado Fantini	ITA	19.30	19.30	x	x	–	–	–
NM	2307	Oleksandr Klymenko	UKR	–	x	x	x	–	–	–