Athletics at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Women's high jump

{{Infobox Olympic event

|event = Women's high jump

|games = 2012 Summer

|venue = Olympic Stadium

|date = 9–11 August

|competitors = 35

|nations = 28

|gold = Anna Chicherova

|goldNOC = RUS

|silver = Brigetta Barrett

|silverNOC = USA

|bronze = Ruth Beitia

|bronzeNOC = ESP

|win_label = Winning height

|win_value = 2.05

|prev = 2008

|next = 2016

}}

Image:TV-icon-2.svg

{{Athletics at the 2012 Summer Olympics}}

The Women's high jump competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom. The event was held at the Olympic Stadium on 9–11 August.{{cite web|url=http://www.london2012.com/athletics/about/|title=Athletics - Summer Olympic Sport|date=26 May 2016|work=london2012.com|access-date=17 June 2016|archive-date=5 September 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120905092430/http://www.london2012.com/athletics/about/|url-status=dead}}

In the qualifying round, only four athletes attempted the automatic qualifying height of 1.96, the clearance necessary for Svetlana Radzivil to advance beyond two misses at 1.93 and while failing, Irina Gordeeva needed to cover her chances in case Ariane Friedrich or Antonia Stergiou had cleared it.

In the final, it was down to four athletes at 2 metres, in the process losing defending champion Tia Hellebaut and reigning indoor champion Chaunte Lowe. Ruth Beitia was clean at 2.00 with one earlier miss, but she could go no further. Brigetta Barrett was getting into a habit of clearing heights on her second attempt. But she also cleared 2.03 on her second attempt, while Svetlana Shkolina cleared on her third, putting Barrett in silver medal position and Shkolina in the bronze position. The leader was reigning world champion Anna Chicherova, clean through 2.03, which would have been enough for the gold medal. But the competition went on, all three attempting 2.05. Chicherova cleared on her second attempt while Barrett and Shkolina missed three times to settle the medals for sure.{{cite web|url=http://www.iaaf.org/Mini/OLY12/Results/ResultsByDate.aspx?racedate=08-11-2012/sex=W/discCode=HJ/combCode=hash/roundCode=f/results.html#detW_HJ_hash_f|title=IAAF: The XXX Olympic Games Olympic Games|work=iaaf.org|access-date=17 June 2016}}

Seven years after the competition, on 1 February 2019, Svetlana Shkolina was among twelve Russian track and field athletes found guilty of doping during the 2012 Summer Olympics, and was stripped of her bronze medal.{{cite web|url=https://www.tas-cas.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Media_Release_IAAF_RUSAF_athletics_cases.pdf|title=THE COURT OF ARBITRATION FOR SPORT (CAS) ISSUES DECISIONS IN 12 FIRST-INSTANCE DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURES CONCERNING RUSSIAN TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETES|format=PDF|date=1 February 2019|access-date=1 February 2019}} In 2021, IOC reallocated her bronze medal to Ruth Beitia of Spain, the athlete who originally got fourth in the event.{{cite web|title=London 2012: Athletics high jump women Results|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/london-2012/results/athletics/high-jump-women|publisher=IOC|access-date=1 December 2021}}

In 2016, victorious Chicherova's 2008 drug re-test returned positive for dehydrochlormethyltestosterone (turinabol). Her 2008 bronze was rescinded, but 2012 gold was not affected.[https://www.iaaf.org/results/olympic-games/2008/the-xxix-olympic-games-3659/women/high-jump/final/series IAAF.org. The XXIX Olympic Games. High Jump women.]