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Shannon Rowbury moves closer to possible 2012 Olympic 1500m medal

American Shannon Rowbury is one step away from being reallocated a 2012 Olympic 1500m bronze medal.

Rowbury has been moved up from fourth place to third place in World Athletics’ results after Russian silver medalist Tatyana Tomashova was retroactively disqualified in a doping case.

Tomashova’s ban was announced in September. The results change was announced Tuesday after Tomashova did not appeal.

Next, the International Olympic Committee determines whether to reallocate medals. In most cases, the IOC does reallocate medals in cases of doping disqualifications.

“I feel really blessed that my Olympic story seems to be having a happy ending, which is something I had kind of given up on,” Rowbury told her local NBC affiliate in the Bay Area in September.

Rowbury, who is 40 and last competed internationally on the track in 2020, can become one of two U.S. women to win an Olympic 1500m medal. Jenny Simpson won bronze at the 2016 Rio Games.

Rowbury crossed the finish line in sixth place in the 2012 Olympic 1500m final. Since, five women out of the original field of 13 have been retroactively disqualified for doping.

The original gold and silver medalists — Asli Cakir Alptekin and Gamze Bulut of Turkiye — were disqualified in 2015 and 2017, respectively.

Maryam Yusuf Jamal of Bahrain was then upgraded from bronze to gold, Tomashova was upgraded from fourth place to silver and Ethiopian Abeba Aregawi was upgraded from fifth place to bronze. Aregawi received her reallocated bronze medal in a ceremony at the Paris Olympics on Aug. 9.

Now, Aregawi could move up to silver and Rowbury to bronze.

2012 Olympic women’s 1500m final results

D̶Q̶.̶ ̶A̶̶̶s̶̶̶l̶̶̶i̶̶̶ ̶C̶̶̶a̶̶̶k̶̶̶i̶̶̶r̶̶̶ ̶A̶̶̶l̶̶̶p̶̶̶t̶̶̶e̶̶̶k̶̶̶i̶̶̶n̶̶̶ ̶(̶̶̶T̶̶̶U̶̶̶R̶̶̶)̶̶̶ ̶-̶̶̶-̶̶̶ ̶4̶̶̶:̶̶̶1̶̶̶0̶̶̶.̶2̶̶̶3̶
̶D̶Q̶.̶ ̶G̶̶̶a̶̶̶m̶̶̶z̶̶̶e̶̶̶ ̶B̶̶̶u̶̶̶l̶̶̶u̶̶̶t̶̶̶ ̶(̶̶̶T̶̶̶U̶̶̶R̶̶̶)̶̶̶ ̶-̶̶̶-̶̶̶ ̶4̶̶̶:̶̶̶1̶̶̶0̶̶̶.̶4̶̶̶0̶̶̶
1. Maryam Yusuf Jamal (BRN) -- 4:10.74
̶D̶Q̶.̶ ̶T̶̶̶a̶̶̶t̶̶̶y̶̶̶a̶̶̶n̶̶̶a̶̶̶ ̶T̶̶̶o̶̶̶m̶̶̶a̶̶̶s̶̶̶h̶̶̶o̶̶̶v̶̶̶a̶̶̶ ̶(̶̶̶R̶̶̶U̶̶̶S̶̶̶)̶̶̶ ̶-̶̶̶-̶̶̶ ̶4̶̶̶:̶̶̶1̶̶̶0̶̶̶.̶9̶̶̶0̶̶̶
2. Abeba Aregawi (ETH) -- 4:11.03
3. Shannon Rowbury (USA) -- 4:11.26
D̶Q̶.̶ ̶N̶̶̶a̶̶̶t̶̶̶a̶̶̶l̶̶̶l̶̶̶i̶̶̶a̶̶̶ ̶K̶̶̶a̶̶̶r̶̶̶e̶̶̶i̶̶̶v̶̶̶a̶̶̶ ̶(̶̶̶B̶̶̶L̶̶̶R̶̶̶)̶̶̶ ̶-̶̶̶-̶̶̶ ̶4̶̶̶:̶̶̶1̶̶̶1̶̶̶.̶5̶̶̶8̶̶̶
4. Lucia Klocova (SVK) -- 4:12.64
̶D̶Q̶.̶ ̶E̶̶̶k̶̶̶a̶̶̶t̶̶̶e̶̶̶r̶̶̶i̶̶̶n̶̶̶a̶̶̶ ̶K̶̶̶o̶̶̶s̶̶̶t̶̶̶e̶̶̶t̶̶̶s̶̶̶k̶̶̶a̶̶̶y̶̶̶a̶̶̶ ̶(̶̶̶R̶̶̶U̶̶̶S̶̶̶)̶̶̶ ̶-̶̶̶-̶̶̶ ̶4̶̶̶:̶̶̶1̶̶̶2̶̶̶.̶9̶̶̶0̶̶̶
5. Lisa Dobriskey (GBR) -- 4:13.02
6. Laura Weightman (GBR) -- 4:15.60
7. Hellen Obiri (KEN) -- 4:16.57
DNF. Morgan Uceny (USA)

Jenny Simpson, arguably the best female miler in U.S. history, plans to retire after the New York City Marathon.