The Estonian Olympic Committee sent the nation's smallest delegation to the Games in the post-Soviet era. A total of 32 athletes, 22 men and 10 women, competed in 11 sports. Fifteen athletes had competed in Beijing, including two Olympic medalists (rower and silver medalist Tõnu Endrekson, and defending champion Gerd Kanter in men's discus throw). Rifle shooter Anžela Voronova, at age 43, was the oldest athlete of the team, while double sculls rower Geir Suursild was the youngest at age 17. Former Olympic bronze medalist Aleksander Tammert, who competed at his fifth Olympics, became Estonia's flag bearer at the opening ceremony. Among the sports played by the athletes, Estonia marked its Olympic return in archery after twenty-year absence, and in wrestling after an eight-year absence.
Estonia left London with only two medals (one silver and one bronze), failing to win a gold medal for the second time since 2004. Defending champion Gerd Kanter, however, settled only for the bronze medal in men's discus throw, while Heiki Nabi won the nation's first ever Olympic silver medal in Greco-Roman wrestling 76 years after Kristjan Palusalu's gold medal at the 1936 Summer Olympics.
Estonian athletes achieved qualifying standards in the following athletics events (up to a maximum of 3 athletes in each event at the 'A' Standard, and 1 at the 'B' Standard):[1][2]
Key
Note – Ranks given for track events are within the athlete's heat only
Q = Qualified for the next round
q = Qualified for the next round as a fastest loser or, in field events, by position without achieving the qualifying target
Qualification Legend: FA=Final A (medal); FB=Final B (non-medal); FC=Final C (non-medal); FD=Final D (non-medal); FE=Final E (non-medal); FF=Final F (non-medal); SA/B=Semifinals A/B; SC/D=Semifinals C/D; SE/F=Semifinals E/F; QF=Quarterfinals; R=Repechage
Russian Empire (1908–1912)
Soviet Union (1952–1988)
