| Women's 1500 metres at the Games of the XXX Olympiad | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||||||||
| Venue | Olympic Stadium | ||||||||||||
| Date | 6–10 August 2012 | ||||||||||||
| Competitors | 46 from 26 nations | ||||||||||||
| Winning time | 4:10.23 | ||||||||||||
| Medalists | |||||||||||||
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The women's 1500 metres competition was an event at the2012 Summer Olympics inLondon,United Kingdom. The competition was held at theOlympic Stadium from 6 to 10 August 2012.[3] In the years following the final, the result would be changed several times due to multiple disqualifications for doping.
Subsequent testing showed six of the first nine finishers were linked to performance-enhancing drug usage.[4] The initial top two finishers,Aslı Çakır Alptekin andGamze Bulut, both of Turkiye, were later found to have used prohibited drugs during this period and were disqualified, and the runner subsequently raised to the silver medal position,Tatyana Tomashova, had served a two-year doping ban (2008–2010) for manipulating samples and was banned after the Olympics for failing another drug test.[5][6] In 2024, she was stripped of her reallocated silver medal in this event and her record was disqualified.[7] 7th-place finisherNatallia Kareiva and 9th-place finisherYekaterina Kostetskaya were disqualified after also being found guilty of doping. As of early September 2024, five of the initial twelve finishers had been disqualified for doping violations.[6] (Abeba Aregawi had a doping violation in 2016 but was absolved of a ban.)[8] In June 2025, the IOC Executive Board officially reallocated the medals to the runners who initially finished in third, fifth, and sixth places.[2]
In 2016, the British daily newspaperThe Independent called the race the dirtiest in history,[9] with the BBC echoing this view.[4]
The qualifying rounds were strategic, with the second heat significantly slower than the first and third. World championship bronze medalist (and 2009 first finisher)Natalia Rodríguez andGenzebe Dibaba both failed to qualify.
The semifinals were similarly inconsistent. In the first semi, the race was stringing out behind a last lap charge by Ethiopian-born BahrainiMimi Belete chased byAslı Çakır Alptekin, the two leaders looking to be sure qualifiers. At the head of the final straight Alptekin passed Belete for the lead and Belete wilted, falling back through the field and changing the dynamic of the rush for qualifying positions, givingShannon Rowbury a qualifying spot, whileHilary Stellingwerff andCorinna Harrer had to hope the second semi would go slowly. Instead, it was significantly faster withTatyana Tomashova pushing the pace after the first 200 metres. With 600m to go,Gamze Bulut passed Tomashova to accelerate the pace further.Abeba Aregawi stayed on Bulut's shoulder and sprinted past with 200 to go, stringing out the field, leavingreigning world championJennifer Simpson behind.
The final started out slowly. Bulut andMaryam Yusuf Jamal found themselves in the lead, Jamal noticeably looking around for someone else to take the pace.[citation needed] The first lap was 1:15.12, while the second lap was a few seconds faster, reached in 2:23.97. The two shared the leading duties until the bell, then both accelerated, with the field swarming to join them. Moments after the bell, Aregawi passed behindMorgan Uceny, who stumbled, her knee meeting the back-kick ofYekaterina Kostetskaya. Just like her experience in the2011 World Championships, Uceny found herself on the ground as the field was sprinting away from her, leaving her in tears. Alptekin passed Bulut with 300 to go. Aregawi joined the lead group on the back stretch with Jamal and Bulut all jockeying for position behind Alptekin. Coming onto the home stretch Jamal looked like she was in position to move past Alptekin, but she never gained enough. Aregawi edged past Jamal with Bulut trying to close the gap. 20 metres before the finish Aregawi suddenly slowed as she was passed by Jamal at the same time as Bulut passed them both.[10]
Suspicions about the race's legitimacy with regard to doping quickly emerged. Great Britain'sLisa Dobriskey, who finished 10th, toldBBC Radio 5 Live immediately after the race, "I don't believe I'm competing on a level playing field." While refusing to accuse any specific athlete ofperformance-enhancing drugs use, Dobriskey said that "I think people will be caught eventually ... Fingers crossed."[11][12] Dobriskey faced criticisms for her comments,[12] but was later considered vindicated by subsequent events.[13]
In May 2013, several news organizations reported that winnerAslı Çakır Alptekin had tested positive for a banned substance.[14][15] As her second doping offense, she would face a lifetime ban if found guilty and be stripped of her gold medal. Neither theIAAF norWADA made an official confirmation of the positive drug test.[16] On 28 July 2014,IAAF announced that 9th-place finisherYekaterina Kostetskaya was sanctioned for doping after herbiological passport had shown abnormalities. Her result was disqualified.[17]
On 17 August 2015, theCourt of Arbitration for Sport approved a settlement agreed to by Alptekin and theIAAF. Alptekin agreed to give up her 1500 m Olympic title and serve an eight-year ban forblood doping.[18] There was no confirmation from the IOC whether the medals would be redistributed.[19]
On 1 June 2016, Turkish media reported that Gamze Bulut had also been found to have employed illegal performance enhancing methods by dint of observations of her athlete 'passport'. It was reported that, if confirmed, Bulut would lose her Olympic and European medals, and all medals and records from 2012 to 2016.[20] The IAAF sanctioned her in March 2017 by four year ineligibility and a disqualification since July 2011[21]
In a 2017 story forESPN, American competitorShannon Rowbury, who finished sixth, said that she suspected that several of her opponents were using performance-enhancing drugs, but according to the story's writer Doug Williams "felt powerless to challenge other runners, even after the race" and "It's a bit mind-blowing to think that half of the field shouldn't have been there to begin with."[22]
Fourth-place runnerTatyana Tomashova received a two-year ban from 2008 to 2010 for manipulating doping samples and was banned after the Olympics for failing another drug test.[23] In 2016, the IAAF reported that Ethiopian runnerAbeba Aregawi, who initially finished the final in fifth place, had failed a recent drug test, although she was reinstated in July based on exculpatory circumstances.[8][24]
Belarusian runnerNatallia Kareiva, who finished seventh in the final, received a two-year ban in 2014 fordoping after herbiological passport showed abnormalities. This voided her result from the 2012 Olympics.[25]
Russian runnerYekaterina Kostetskaya was also sanctioned for doping in 2014, disqualifying her initial ninth-place finish.[17]
These developments meant that six of the race's top nine finishers were linked to performance-enhancing drug usage. The aforementioned ESPN story called the race "one of the dirtiest in Olympic history".[22]
In 2017, the IOC officially reassigned the gold medal to Maryam Yusuf Jamal, but pending the outcome of anti-doping proceedings against several lower-placed finishers the silver and bronze remained vacant.
In 2018, the IOC reallocated silver and bronze medals, upgrading Tomashova despite her doping suspension.[26][failed verification] However, in early September 2024, theCAS banned Tomashova for 10 years as a doping penalty following re-testing of her samples and stripped her of the silver medal.[27] That brought the number of initial finishers to be subsequently disqualified for doping violations to five of twelve runners.[6][28]
In June 2025, the IOC Executive Board officially reallocated medals for the 1500m athletics event, as a result of disqualification of Tomashova, upgrading Abeba Aregawi to silver and Shannon Rowbury to bronze.[2] Rowbury will finally physically receive her medal at the Los Angeles2028 Summer Olympics - some 16 years after the race.
The women's 1500 m competition consisted of heats (round 1), semifinals and a final. The first six competitors in each heat, along with the next six fastest overall, qualified for the semifinals.[29] In the semifinals the first five in each heat along with the next two fastest overall qualified for the final. There was a tie for the 12th fastest overall time and both athletes qualified for the final, making a total of 13 athletes.[30]
Prior to the competition[update], the existing World and Olympic records were as follows.
| Record | Athlete | Time | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| World record |  Qu Yunxia (CHN) | 3:50.46 | Beijing,China | 11 September 1993 |
| Olympic record |  Paula Ivan (ROU) | 3:53.96 | Seoul,South Korea | 26 September 1988 |
| 2012 World leading |  Mariem Alaoui Selsouli (MAR) | 3:56.15 | Paris,France | 6 July 2012 |
All times areBritish Summer Time (UTC+1)
| Date | Time | Round |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, 6 August 2012 | 11:45 | Round 1 |
| Wednesday, 8 August 2012 | 19:45 | Semifinals |
| Friday, 10 August 2012 | 20:55 | Finals |
The first six of each heat (Q) plus the six fastest times (q) qualified.
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abeba Aregawi |  Ethiopia | 4:04.55 | Q |
| 2 | Tatyana Tomashova |  Russia | 4:05.10 | Q |
| 3 | Maryam Yusuf Jamal |  Bahrain | 4:05.39 | Q |
| 4 | Hellen Obiri |  Kenya | 4:05.40 | Q |
| 5 | Hannah England |  Great Britain | 4:05.73 | Q |
| 6 | Hilary Stellingwerff |  Canada | 4:05.79 | Q |
| 7 | Shannon Rowbury |  United States | 4:06.03 | q |
| 8 | Lucy van Dalen |  New Zealand | 4:07.04 | q |
| 9 | Lucia Klocova |  Slovakia | 4:07.79 | q,NR |
| 10 | Corinna Harrer |  Germany | 4:07.83 | q |
| 11 | Marina Munćan |  Serbia | 4:11.25 | |
| 12 | Tereza Capkova |  Czech Republic | 4:12.15 | |
| 13 | Anzhelika Shevchenko |  Ukraine | 4:12.97 | |
| 14 | Natalia Rodríguez |  Spain | 4:16.18 | |
| 15 | Tuğba Karakaya |  Turkey | 4:29.21 | |
| — | Btissam Lakhouad | Morocco | — | DNF |
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lisa Dobriskey | Great Britain | 4:13.32 | Q |
| 2 | Siham Hilali | Morocco | 4:13.34 | Q |
| — | Aslı Çakır Alptekin | Turkey | Q | |
| 3 | Nuria Fernández | Spain | 4:13.72 | Q |
| 4 | Kaila McKnight |  Australia | 4:13.80 | Q |
| 5 | Jennifer Simpson | United States | 4:13.81 | Q |
| — | Ekaterina Martynova[31] | Russia | ||
| 6 | Genzeb Shumi | Bahrain | 4:14.02 | |
| 7 | Meskerem Assefa | Ethiopia | 4:15.52 | |
| 8 | Eunice Sum | Kenya | 4:16.95 | |
| 9 | Sonja Roman |  Slovenia | 4:19.17 | |
| 10 | Eliane Saholinirina |  Madagascar | 4:19.46 | |
| 11 | Renata Pliś |  Poland | 4:19.62 | |
| 12 | Chancel Ilunga Sankuru |  Democratic Republic of the Congo | 5:05.25 | |
| — | Ingvill Makestad Bovim |  Norway | — | DNS |
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Gamze Bulut | Turkey | Q | |
| 1 | Morgan Uceny | United States | 4:06.87 | Q |
| — | Natallia Kareiva |  Belarus | Q,SB | |
| — | Yekaterina Kostetskaya | Russia | Q | |
| 2 | Mimi Belete | Bahrain | 4:07.01 | Q,SB |
| 3 | Laura Weightman | Great Britain | 4:07.29 | Q |
| 4 | Nicole Sifuentes | Canada | 4:07.65 | q |
| 5 | Zoe Buckman | Australia | 4:07.83 | q |
| 6 | Faith Kipyegon | Kenya | 4:08.78 | |
| 7 | Genzebe Dibaba | Ethiopia | 4:11.15 | |
| 8 | Janet Achola |  Uganda | 4:11.64 | |
| 9 | Isabel Macías | Spain | 4:13.07 | |
| 10 | Anna Mishchenko | Ukraine | 4:13.63 | |
| 11 | Betlhem Desalegn |  United Arab Emirates | 4:14.07 | |
| 12 | Gladys Landaverde |  El Salvador | 4:18.26 | NR |
The first five of each semifinal (Q) plus the two fastest times (q) qualified.
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Aslı Çakır Alptekin | Turkey | Q | |
| — | Yekaterina Kostetskaya | Russia | Q | |
| 1 | Morgan Uceny | United States | 4:05.34 | Q |
| 2 | Lisa Dobriskey | Great Britain | 4:05.35 | Q |
| 3 | Shannon Rowbury | United States | 4:05.47 | Q |
| 4 | Hilary Stellingwerff | Canada | 4:05.57 | |
| 5 | Corinna Harrer | Germany | 4:05.70 | |
| 6 | Mimi Belete | Bahrain | 4:05.91 | SB |
| 7 | Hannah England | Great Britain | 4:06.35 | |
| 8 | Nuria Fernandez | Spain | 4:06.57 | SB |
| 9 | Lucy van Dalen | New Zealand | 4:06.97 | |
| 10 | Kaila McKnight | Australia | 4:08.44 |
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abeba Aregawi | Ethiopia | 4:01.03 | Q |
| — | Gamze Bulut | Turkey | Q,PB | |
| 2 | Tatyana Tomashova | Russia | 4:02.10 | Q |
| 3 | Maryam Yusuf Jamal | Bahrain | 4:02.18 | Q,SB |
| 4 | Hellen Obiri | Kenya | 4:02.30 | Q |
| — | Natallia Kareiva | Belarus | q, | |
| 5 | Laura Weightman | Great Britain | 4:02.99 | q,PB |
| 6 | Lucia Klocova | Slovakia | 4:02.99 | q,NR |
| 7 | Siham Hilali | Morocco | 4:04.79 | |
| 8 | Zoe Buckman | Australia | 4:05.03 | PB |
| 9 | Nicole Sifuentes | Canada | 4:06.33 | |
| 10 | Jennifer Simpson | United States | 4:06.89 |
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time | Notes[19] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Maryam Yusuf Jamal | Bahrain | 4:10.74 | |
 | Abeba Aregawi | Ethiopia | 4:11.03 | |
 | Shannon Rowbury | United States | 4:11.26 | |
| 4 | Lucia Klocová | Slovakia | 4:12.64 | |
| 5 | Lisa Dobriskey | Great Britain | 4:13.02 | |
| 6 | Laura Weightman | Great Britain | 4:15.60 | |
| 7 | Hellen Obiri | Kenya | 4:16.57 | |
| n/a | Morgan Uceny | United States | n/a | DNF |
| DSQ | Aslı Çakır Alptekin | Turkey | DQ (doping) | |
| DSQ | Gamze Bulut | Turkey | DQ (doping) | |
| DSQ | Tatyana Tomashova | Russia | DQ (doping) | |
| DSQ | Natallia Kareiva | Belarus | DQ (doping) | |
| DSQ | Yekaterina Kostetskaya | Russia | DQ (doping) |
