Michelle Denee Carter (born October 12, 1985) is an American retired track and field athlete who competed in shot put. She won a gold medal in the event at the 2016 Rio Olympics, making her the first American woman to win Olympic gold in shot put and only the second to medal in the event. Carter is the former American record holder in the event with a distance of set at the 2016 Olympic Games. She was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 2020.
Early life
Carter was born on October 12, 1985, in San Jose, California, and grew up in Red Oak, Texas. Her parents are Sandra and Michael Carter, the latter of whom won a silver medal in shot put at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and went on to play American football for the San Francisco 49ers. She has one brother, Michael Jr., and one sister, D’Andra.
Carter is a 2003 graduate of Red Oak High School in Red Oak, Texas, where she was a four-time state champion in shot put and held the girls’ national record in the event from 2003 to 2014. She earned an athletic scholarship to University of Texas, where she competed in shot put, and graduated with a bachelor's degree in youth and community studies, with a minor in kinesiology, in 2007.
Career Carter won the 2016 gold medal at the Rio Olympics on the last of her six throws, edging two-time defending champion Valerie Adams of New Zealand. In doing so, Carter became the first United States women's athlete to win the event since the women's competition began at the 1948 Summer Olympic Games in London, and only the second American to win any medal in the event (Earlene Brown, bronze, 1960). Carter broke her own American record with an Olympic gold medal-winning toss of .
She finished fifteenth at the 2008 Olympic Games and fourth at the 2012 Olympic Games.
A bronze medalist at the 2015 and 2017 IAAF World Championships, Carter also won the gold medal at the 2016 World Indoor Championships after winning the bronze in 2012.
She won the silver medal at the 2001 World Youth Championships and the gold medal at the 2004 World Junior Championships.
In addition to winning the 2008 United States Olympic Team Trials, she was the 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 national champion. While competing for the University of Texas, she won the NCAA collegiate national championship in 2006. In college, she was a seven-time All-American, and also won the Big 12 Conference title five times. In 2006, she won the NCAA indoor title to also help the University of Texas women claim the NCAA team title. With a runner-up finish in the shot put at the 2005 outdoor meet, Carter helped the Longhorns win the NCAA championship.
In June 2022, Carter announced her retirement from competition.
Awards and recognitions Carter was inducted into the Texas Longhorns Hall of Honor in 2016, the Texas Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2018, and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 2020.
Personal life Carter is a Christian. She has said, "Through faith and sports, I've learned discipline and self-control. In the Bible, God tells us we have to work, even if what we want is not going to happen right away. People want a platform, but with that comes responsibility. Before winning the gold medal, I needed to be in a mature place to handle the opportunities that were going to come my way, to make sure I didn't use them for my advantage. You have to put your pride aside and let God's plan come through. He has given me this platform for Him to shine." She has also said "I know God allowed me to have this medal, and with it I want to glorify Him and point others to Him."
As a child, Carter was diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia.
Carter is a certified professional make-up artist.
Carter has focused on body image both on and off the field, talking to young women about confidence through her program You Throw Girl. "You have to understand everyone's body was built to do something. I was built to do something, and that's how I was built. I think the world is realizing we were promoting one body type and there have always been many."
Carter married husband Courtney Elder in 2019. They first met as children at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship church, when Carter was 5 years old, and reconnected as adults in 2016.
Carter lives in Grand Prairie, Texas. She was inducted as an honorary member of Sigma Gamma Rho on July 24, 2026, during the sorority's 61st Biennial Boule in Tampa, Florida.Olympic Shot Put Champion Michelle Carter Inducted as Honorary Member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.
Competition history International competitions 2001World Youth Championships Debrecen, Hungary2nd Shot put 2003 Pan American Junior Championships Bridgetown, Barbados1st Shot put 2004 World Junior Championships Grosseto, Italy 1st Shot put 2006 NACAC U23 Championships Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic2nd Shot put 2008 Olympic GamesBeijing, China13th Shot put 2009World ChampionshipsBerlin, Germany5thShot put2010World Indoor ChampionshipsDoha, Qatar10thShot put2011World ChampionshipsDaegu, South Korea8thShot putPan American GamesGuadalajara, Mexico3rdShot put2012World Indoor ChampionshipsIstanbul, Turkey2ndShot put Olympic GamesLondon, United Kingdom4th Shot put 2013World ChampionshipsMoscow, Russia4thShot put 2014World Indoor ChampionshipsSopot, Poland4thShot put 2015World ChampionshipsBeijing, China3rdShot put2016World Indoor ChampionshipsPortland, Oregon1stShot put Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro, Brazil1st Shot put 2017World ChampionshipsLondon, United Kingdom3rdShot put2019World ChampionshipsDoha, Qatar9thShot put
Circuit wins and titles
Diamond League Memorial Van Damme (Final): 2016 Doha Diamond League: 2017 London Anniversary Games: 2015
National competitions 2000USA Junior OlympicsAmherst, Massachusetts1stShot put2001USA Junior OlympicsSacramento, California1stShot put2002USA Junior ChampionshipsPalo Alto, California3rdShot putUSA Junior OlympicsMiami, Florida1stShot put2003USA Junior ChampionshipsPalo Alto, California1stShot putUSA Junior OlympicsMiami, Florida1stShot put2004USA Junior ChampionshipsCollege Station, Texas1stShot put2005USA ChampionshipsCarson, California2ndShot put2006USA ChampionshipsIndianapolis, Indiana5thShot put2007USA ChampionshipsIndianapolis, Indiana5thShot put2008United States Olympic TrialsEugene, Oregon1stShot put 2009USA ChampionshipsEugene, Oregon1stShot put2010USA Indoor ChampionshipsAlbuquerque, New Mexico2ndShot putUSA ChampionshipsDes Moines, Iowa2ndShot put 2011USA ChampionshipsEugene, Oregon1stShot put2012USA Indoor ChampionshipsAlbuquerque, New Mexico2ndShot putUSA ChampionshipsEugene, Oregon2ndShot put2013USA Indoor ChampionshipsAlbuquerque, New Mexico1stShot putUSA ChampionshipsDes Moines, Iowa1stShot put2014USA Indoor ChampionshipsAlbuquerque, New Mexico1stShot putUSA ChampionshipsSacramento, California1stShot put2015USA Indoor ChampionshipsBoston, Massachusetts1stShot putUSA ChampionshipsEugene, Oregon1stShot put2016USA Indoor ChampionshipsPortland, Oregon1stShot putUnited States Olympic TrialsEugene, Oregon1stShot put2017USA Indoor ChampionshipsAlbuquerque, New Mexico1stShot putUSA ChampionshipsSacramento, California3rdShot put2018USA ChampionshipsDes Moines, Iowa6thShot put2019USA ChampionshipsDes Moines, Iowa2ndShot put2020USA Indoor ChampionshipsAlbuquerque, New Mexico7thShot put2022USA ChampionshipsEugene, Oregon8thShot put
References
External links
University of Texas Athletics Hall of Honor The Podium Life Podcast with Michelle Carter