Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's shot put

Did You Know?

• Andrei Mikhnevich was initially awarded bronze but later disqualified for doping, and the medal was given to fourth-place finisher Dylan Armstrong of Canada.
• The qualifying standards were 20.30 m (A) and 19.80 m (B).
• Each NOC could enter up to three athletes meeting the A standard or one athlete meeting the B standard.

Background

This was the 26th appearance of the men's shot put, one of 12 athletics events held at every Summer Olympics. Eight of the top finishers from 2004 returned, including Yuriy Bilonoh (whose 2004 gold was later stripped), Adam Nelson, Joachim Olsen, Manuel Martínez Gutiérrez, Andrei Mikhnevich, Yury Bialou, Justin Anlezark, and Ralf Bartels. Nelson had won the 2005 world championships and placed second in 2007. Reese Hoffa, Nelson, and Christian Cantwell were favored, with an American sweep considered a real possibility. Chinese Taipei, Iran, Jamaica, Portugal, and Serbia made their debut in the event. The United States made its 25th appearance, having missed only the boycotted 1980 Games.

Competition format

The competition used the two-round format introduced in 1936, with a separate qualifying round and final. In qualifying, each athlete had three attempts; those reaching at least 20.40 metres advanced, or the top 12 if fewer achieved that mark. Qualifying results were then ignored. Finalists received three throws, with the top eight receiving three additional attempts; the best distance among the six throws counted.