The men aren’t the only ones who can run like the wind. The ladies hold their own in the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games when they compete in 23 distinguishing events in track and field. Many life-changing and touching moments have occurred throughout women’s track and field this year and it is the strength of these women that is so moving. See the schedule and results for the 2012 Olympic Games for women’s athletics after the jump!
For some of these women, it is about redemption- second chances. A few are doing this for their family, loved ones, or children they had not ran for in Olympics past. And for one woman from Escondido, California, it was the first time Saudi Arabia had allowed a woman to participate in the Olympic Games.

We have seen heartbreak. There have been tears of joy. But most importantly there have been women who own the courage, perseverance, and the strength to run, jump, throw, and glide through the air for their country’s and to fulfill their own dreams of Olympic gold.

Women’s 100m: Final – Saturday, August 4
Gold: Jamaica – Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce    10.75
Silver: USA – Carmelita Jeter    10.78 (Season Best)
Bronze: Jamaica – Veronica Campbell-Brown    10.81 (Season Best)
4TH: USA – Tianna Madison    10.85 (Personal Best)
5TH: USA – Allyson Felix    10.89 (Personal Best)

Women’s 200m: Final – Wednesday, August 8
Gold: USA – Allyson Felix    21.88
Silver: Jamaica – Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce    22.09 (Personal Best)
Bronze: USA – Carmelita Jeter    22.14
4TH: Jamaica – Veronica Campbell-Brown    22.38
5TH: USA – Sanya Richards-Ross    22.39

Women’s 400m: Final – Sunday, August 5
Gold: USA – Sanya Richards-Ross    49.55
Silver: Great Britain – Christine Ohuruogu    49.70 (Season Best)
Bronze: USA – DeeDee Trotter    49.72 (Season Best)
4TH: Botswana – Amantle Montsho    49.75
5TH: Jamaica – Novlene William-Mills    50.11

Women’s 800m: Final – Saturday, August 11
Gold: Russia – Mariya Savinova    1:56.19 (Season Best)
Silver: South Africa – Caster Semenya    1:57.23 (Season Best)
Bronze: Russia – Ekaterina Poistogova    1:57.53 (Personal Best)
4TH: Kenya – Pamela Jelimo    1:57.59
5TH: USA – Alysia Johnson Montano    1:57.93

Women’s 100m Hurdles
Gold: Australia – Sally Pearson    12.35 (Olympic Record)
Silver: USA – Dawn Harper    12.37 (Personal Best)
Bronze: USA – Kellie Wells    12.48 (Personal Best)
4TH: USA – Lolo Jones    12.58 (Season Best)
5TH: Turkey – Nevin Yanit    12.58 (National Record)

Women’s 1500m: Final – Friday, August 10
Gold: Turkey – Asli Cakir Alptekin    4:10.23
Silver: Turkey – Gamze Bulut    4:10.40
Bronze: Bahrain – Maryam Yusuf Jamal    4:10.74
4TH: Russia – Tatyana Tomashova    4:10.90
5TH: Ethiopia – Abeba Aregawi    4:11.03

Women’s 3000m Steeplechase
Gold: Russia – Yuliya Zaripova    9:06.72 (Personal Best)
Silver: Tunisia – Habiba Ghribi    9:08.37 (National Record)
Bronze: Ethiopia – Sofia Assefa    9:09.84
4TH: Kenya – Milcah Chemos Cheywa    9:09.88
5TH: Ethiopia – Hiwot Ayalew    9:12.98

Women’s 400m Hurdles: Final – Wednesday, August 8
Gold: Russia – Natalya Antyukh    52.70 (Personal Best)
Silver: USA – Lashinda Demus    52.77 (Season Best)
Bronze: Czech Republic – Zuzana Hejnova    53.38 (Season Best)
4TH: Jamaica – Kaliese Spencer    53.66 (Season Best)
5TH: USA – Georganne Moline    53.92 (Personal Best)

Women’s 5000m: Final – Friday, August 10
Gold: Ethiopia – Meseret Defar    15:04.25
Silver: Kenya – Vivian Jepkemoi Cheruiyot    15:04.73
Bronze: Ethiopia – Tirunesh Dibaba    15:05.15
4TH: Kenya – Sally Jepkosgei Kipyego    15:05.79
5TH: Ethiopia – Gelete Burka    15:10.66

Women’s Shot Put: Final – Monday, August 6
Gold: Belarus – Nadzeya Ostapchuk    21.36
Silver: New Zealand – Valerie Adams    20.70
Bronze: Russia – Evgeniia Kolodko    20.48 (Personal Best)
4TH: China – Lijiao Gong    20.22 (Season Best)
5TH: China – Ling Li    19.63

Women’s Discus Throw: Final – Saturday, August 4
Gold: Croatia – Sandra Perkovic    69.11 (National Record)
Silver: Russia – Darya Pishchalnikova    67.56
Bronze: China – Yanfeng Li    67.22
4TH: Cuba – Yarelys Barrios    66.38
5TH: Germany Nadine Muller    65.94

Women’s Javelin Throw: Final – Thursday, August
Gold: Czech Republic – Barbora Spotakova    69.55 (Season Best)
Silver: Germany – Christina Obergfoll    65.16
Bronze: Germany – Linda Stahl    64.91 (Season Best)
4TH: South Africa – Sunette Viljoen   64.53
5TH: China –  Huihui Lu    63.70

Women’s Hammer Throw: Final – Friday, August 10
Gold: Russia – Tatyana Lysenko    78.18 (Olympic Record)
Silver: Poland – Anita Wlodarczyk    77.60 (Season Best)
Bronze: Germany – Betty Heidler    77.12
4TH: China – Wenxiu Zhang    76.34
5TH: Germany – Kathrin Klaas    76.05 (Personal Best)

Women’s Long Jump: Final  – Wednesday, August 8
Gold: USA – Brittney Reese    7.12m
Silver: Russia – Elena Sokolova    7.07m (Personal Best)
Bronze: USA – Janay Deloach    6.89m
4TH: Latvia – Ineta Radevica    6.88m (Season Best)
5TH: Russia – Anna Nazarova    6.77m

Women’s Triple Jump: Final – Sunday, August 5
Gold: Kazakhstan – Olga Rypakova    14.98m (Season Best)
Silver: Colombia – Caterine Ibarguen    14.80m
Bronze: Ukraine – Olha Saladuha    14.79m
4TH: Ukraine – Hanna Knyazyeva    14.56m
5TH: Great Britain – Yamile Aldama    14.48m

Women’s High Jump: Final – Saturday, August 11
Gold: Russia – Anna Chicherova    2.05m
Silver: USA – Brigetta Barrett    2.03m (Personal Best)
Bronze: Russia – Svetlana Shkolina 2.03m (Personal Best)
4TH: Spain – Ruth Beitia    2.00m (Tied Season Best)
5TH: Belgium – Tia Hellebaut    1.97m (Tied Season Best)

Women’s Pole Vault: Final – Monday, August 6
Gold: USA – Jennifer Suhr    4.75m
Silver: Cuba – Yarisley Silv    4.75m (Equaled National Record)
Bronze: Russia – Elena Isinbaeva    4.70m
4TH: Germany – Silke Spiegelburg    4.65m
5TH: Germany – Martina Strutz    4.55m

Women’s 20km Race Walk: Final – Saturday, August 11
Gold: Russia – Elena Lashmanova    1:25:02 (World Record)
Silver: Russia – Olga Kaniskina    1:25:09 (Season Best)
Bronze: China – Shenjie Qieyang    1:25:16 (Area Best)
4TH: China – Hong Liu    1:26:00
5TH: Russia – Anisya Kirdyapkina    1:26:26 (Season Best)

Women’s Marathon: Final – Sunday, August 5
Gold: Ethiopia – Tiki Gelana    2:23:07 (Olympic Record)
Silver: Kenya – Priscah Jeptoo    2:23:12
Bronze: Russia – Tatyana Petrova Arkhipova    2:23:29 (Personal Best)
4TH: Kenya – Mary Jepkosgei Keitany    2:23:56
5TH: Ukraine – Tetyana Gamera-Shmyrko    2:24:32 (National Record)

Women’s 10,000m: Final – Friday, August 3
Gold: Ethiopia – Tirunesh Dibaba    30:20.75 (Season Best)
Silver: Kenya – Sally Jepkosgei Kipyego    30:26.37 (Personal Best)
Bronze: Kenya – Vivian Jepkemoi Cheruiyot    30:30.44 (Personal Best)
4TH: Ethiopia KIDANE Werknesh    30:39.38 (Season Best)
5TH: Ethiopia OLJIRA Beleynesh    30:45.56

Women’s 4 x 100m Relay: Final – Friday, August 10
Gold: USA    40.82 (World Record)
Tianna Madison Allyson Felix
Bianca Knight
Carmelita Jeter

Silver: Jamaica     41.41 (National Record)
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce
Sherone Simpson
Veronica Campbell-Brown
Kerron Stewart

Bronze: Ukraine     42.04 (National Record)
Olesya Povh
Hrystyna Stuy
Mariya Ryemyen
Elyzaveta Bryzgina

4TH: Nigeria     42.64 (Season Best)

5TH: Germany     42.67

Women’s 4 x 400m Relay: Final – Saturday, August 11
Gold: USA     3:16.87 (Season Best)
DeeDee Trotter
Allyson Felix
Francena McCorory
Sanya Richards-Ross

Silver: Russia     3:20.23 (Season Best)
Yulia Gushchina
Antonina Krivoshapka
Tatyana Firova
Natalya Antyukh

Bronze: Jamaica     3:20.95 (Season Best)
Christine Day
Rosemarie Whyte
Shericka Williams
Novlene Williams-Mills

4TH: Ukraine     3:23.57 (Season Best)

5TH: Great Britain     3:24.76 (Season Best)

Women’s Heptathlon: Final – Saturday, August 4
(100m Hurdles, High Jump, Shot Put, 200m, Long Jump, Javelin, 800m)
Gold: Great Britain – Jessica Ennis    6955 points (National Record)
Silver: Germany – Lilli Schwarzkopf    6649 points (Personal Best)
Bronze: Russia – Tatyana Chernova    6628 points
4TH: Ukraine – Lyudmyla Yosypenko    6618 points (Personal Best)
5TH: Lithuania – Austra Skujyte    6599 points (Personal Best)

Source: London 2012