Medalists
| Gold |
 Valerie Vili
New Zealand (NZL) |
| Silver |
 Natallia Mikhnevich
Belarus (BLR) |
| Bronze |
Nadzeya Astapchuk
Belarus (BLR) |
Records
Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.
| World Record |
Natalya Lisovskaya (URS) |
22.63 |
Moscow, Soviet Union |
7 June 1987 |
| Olympic Record |
Ilona Slupianek (GDR) |
22.41 |
Moscow, Soviet Union |
24 July 1980 |
No new world or Olympic records were set for this event.
Qualifying round
| Group |
Rank |
Name |
Nationality |
Result |
Notes |
| A |
1 |
Valerie Vili |
New Zealand |
19.73 |
Q |
| B |
2 |
Gong Lijiao |
China |
19.46 |
Q, PB |
| A |
3 |
Li Meiju |
China |
19.18 |
Q, PB |
| A |
4 |
Natallia Mikhnevich |
Belarus |
19.11 |
Q |
| A |
5 |
Christina Schwanitz |
Germany |
19.09 |
Q |
| B |
6 |
Nadzeya Astapchuk |
Belarus |
19.08 |
Q |
| A |
7 |
Misleydis González |
Cuba |
18.91 |
Q |
| A |
8 |
Chiara Rosa |
Italy |
18.74 |
Q, SB |
| B |
8 |
Anna Omarova |
Russia |
18.74 |
Q |
| B |
10 |
Li Ling |
China |
18.60 |
Q |
| B |
11 |
Nadine Kleinert |
Germany |
18.52 |
Q |
| A |
12 |
Jillian Camarena |
United States |
18.51 |
Q, SB |
| B |
13 |
Michelle Carter |
United States |
18.49 |
Q |
| A |
14 |
Mailín Vargas |
Cuba |
18.47 |
Q |
| A |
15 |
Olga Ivanova |
Russia |
18.46 |
Q |
| A |
16 |
Denise Hinrichs |
Germany |
18.36 |
|
| B |
17 |
Cleopatra Borel-Brown |
Trinidad and Tobago |
17.96 |
|
| A |
18 |
Yanina Karolchyk-Pravalinskaya |
Belarus |
17.79 |
|
| B |
19 |
Assunta Legnante |
Italy |
17.76 |
|
| B |
20 |
Yumileidi Cumbá |
Cuba |
17.60 |
|
| A |
21 |
Anca Heltne |
Romania |
17.48 |
|
| A |
22 |
Natalia Duco |
Chile |
17.40 |
|
| A |
23 |
Kristin Heaston |
United States |
17.34 |
|
| B |
24 |
Vivian Chukwuemeka |
Nigeria |
17.15 |
|
| B |
25 |
Irina Khudoroshkina |
Russia |
16.84 |
|
| A |
26 |
Irini Terzoglou |
Greece |
16.50 |
|
| B |
27 |
Ana Pouhila |
Tonga |
16.42 |
|
| B |
28 |
Lin Chia-Ying |
Chinese Taipei |
16.32 |
|
| B |
29 |
Zhang Guirong |
Singapore |
16.23 |
|
| B |
30 |
Mariam Kevkhishvili |
Georgia |
15.99 |
|
| B |
31 |
Zara Northover |
Jamaica |
15.85 |
|
| A |
32 |
Iolanta Ulyeva |
Kazakhstan |
15.49 |
|
| A |
33 |
Lee Mi-Young |
South Korea |
15.10 |
|
| A |
|
Irache Quintanal |
Spain |
NM |
|
| B |
|
Krystyna Zabawska |
Poland |
NM |
|
Final
| Position |
Name |
Nationality |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
Result |
Notes |
| 1 |
Valerie Vili |
New Zealand |
20.56 |
20.40 |
20.26 |
20.01 |
20.52 |
- |
20.56 |
AR, NR |
| 2 |
Natallia Mikhnevich |
Belarus |
19.16 |
20.28 |
19.87 |
19.82 |
19.94 |
20.10 |
20.28 |
|
| 3 |
Nadzeya Astapchuk |
Belarus |
x |
18.69 |
18.36 |
x |
19.86 |
19.36 |
19.86 |
|
| 4 |
Misleydis González |
Cuba |
19.30 |
x |
19.01 |
19.23 |
19.50 |
x |
19.50 |
PB |
| 5 |
Gong Lijiao |
China |
18.45 |
18.75 |
18.90 |
18.92 |
19.04 |
19.20 |
19.20 |
|
| 6 |
Anna Omarova |
Russia |
19.08 |
18.21 |
x |
x |
x |
18.76 |
19.08 |
|
| 7 |
Nadine Kleinert |
Germany |
18.30 |
18.68 |
19.01 |
18.99 |
x |
18.81 |
19.01 |
|
| 8 |
Li Meiju |
China |
18.68 |
18.99 |
18.74 |
x |
18.85 |
19.00 |
19.00 |
|
| 9 |
Olga Ivanova |
Russia |
17.96 |
x |
18.44 |
|
18.44 |
|
| 10 |
Mailín Vargas |
Cuba |
18.28 |
17.88 |
17.74 |
|
18.28 |
|
| 11 |
Christina Schwanitz |
Germany |
x |
17.96 |
18.27 |
|
18.27 |
|
| 12 |
Jillian Camarena |
United States |
18.09 |
18.24 |
17.44 |
|
18.24 |
|
| 13 |
Chiara Rosa |
Italy |
18.22 |
17.98 |
x |
|
18.22 |
|
| 14 |
Li Ling |
China |
17.94 |
x |
17.81 |
|
17.94 |
|
| 15 |
Michelle Carter |
United States |
16.97 |
17.65 |
17.74 |
|
17.74 |
|
|
