Rowbury finished second at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials in 2012, qualifying her for her second consecutive Olympics. Morgan Uceny, who finished first at the trials, and Jenny Simpson, who finished third, also competed with Rowbury at the London Olympics. Rowbury initially finished sixth in the 1500 meters race at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. At the time, her sixth-place finish was the best finish ever by an American woman in the 1500 meters at the modern Olympics. She was later upgraded to fourth after Aslı Çakır Alptekin and Gamze Bulut were both disqualified for doping. Six of the top nine finishers in the event (not including Rowbury) were later either disqualified or linked to performance-enhancing drug use, with ESPN labeling it "one of the dirtiest [races] in Olympic history".