Athletics at the 2008 Beijing Summer Games:

Ivan Tikhon (BLR) was favored, having won the last three World Championships (2003, 2005, 2007) and leading the seasonal list in 2008. But the leader after round one was Slovenia's Primož Kozmus, considered to have only an outside shot at a medal, who opened with 80.75 (264-11). Almost all the leaders achieved their best marks in round two, with Kozmus improving to 82.02 (269-1), which would eventually win the gold medal. Vadim Devyatovsky (BLR) took over second place with 81.61 (267-9), followed by Krisztián Pars of Hungary with 80.96 (265-7), and the defending champion, Koji Murofushi (JPN), with 80.71 (264-9). Tikhon improved to 80.56 (264-4) but was in fifth place after two rounds. Of the leaders, he was the only thrower to improve after that round, posting 81.51 (267-5) in round five to move into third place and a seemingly disappointing bronze medal.

But the medal places would not finally be decided for almost two years. Both Devyatovsky and Tikhon tested positive for testosterone, and were disqualified by the IOC, but not until 11 December 2008. This initially moved Pars up to the silver medal and Murofushi to the bronze. It was the second successive Olympics at which Murofushi seemingly benefited from others being disqualified for doping as in 2004, he had moved up to the gold medal position after the DQ of Adrián Annus (HUN). However, both Devyatovsky and Tikhon appealed their disqualification to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), and in June 2010, the CAS ruled that both athletes should not be disqualified because of irregularities in the testing procedures, with the ruling restoring them to their medal positions.