Michelle Denee Carter (born October 12, 1985) is a retired American track and field athlete who competed in shot put.

[4] 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.

[4] 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.

[4][5][6] 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.

With a runner-up finish in the shot put at the 2005 outdoor meet, Carter helped the Longhorns win the NCAA championship.

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.

Carter has focused on body image both on and off the field, talking to young women about confidence through her program You Throw Girl.

[17] They first met as children at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship church, when Carter was 5 years old, and reconnected as adults in 2016.