She came close to a personal best at the 2012 Prefontaine Classic, winning the 800 m in 1:57.37 minutes. At the 2012 Olympics, the front running Montaño held the lead until the kickers ran past her in the closing stages of the race, ultimately holding on to fifth place. With the potential disqualification of two Russian athletes, that could turn into an Olympic bronze medal. With the disqualification of Mariya Savinova that has been elevated to fourth, however Ekaterina Poistogova was not disqualified backdated to the 2012 Olympics despite receiving a lifetime ban for doping. That decision allowed Poistogova to advance to the silver medal and prevented Montaño from advancing further.