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1956 Olympic Games Melbourne, Australia - Women's Discus Throw

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Details: Parent Category: Olympic Games (Athletics); Category: 1956 Olympic Games Melbourne, Australia - (Athletics); Last Updated: 09 June 2016; Hits: 436

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Host City: Melbourne, Australia

Format: All those reaching 42.00 metres advanced to the final.

Date Started: November 23, 1956

Date Finished: November 23, 1956

(Competitors: 22; Countries: 12; Finalists: 13)

Venue(s): Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Victoria

Overview by IAAF

Ponomaryova was expected to retain her title ahead of Beglyakova, with Fikotová and Mertová likely to battle out for the bronze. Fikotová led the qualifying with 50.77, but was fourth until the third round, when she threw 52.04 to take the lead. Beglyakova immediately responded with 52.54, and retained the lead from Fikotová until the fifth round. The Czech threw 53.69 in the fifth round to become the third-best thrower ever and win the gold, with Ponomaryova producing her best in the same round, to edge Brown for the bronze medal. For Fikotová, Melbourne was memorable not just for the gold medal, as she met (and three months later married) Harold Connolly, winner of the hammer. Ponomaryova had given Fikotová coaching tips in 1955, and was visibly upset to see how good a job she had done.

Summary by Sports-reference.com

Nina Romashkova was the defending champion, the 1954 European Champion, and the favorite. Her teammate Irina Beglyakova had finished second to her at the 1954 Europeans and was expected to medal. The qualifying leader was Czechoslovak Olga Fikotová who took the lead in the final with 52.04 (170-9) in round three. But Beglyakova surpassed her later in the round with 52.54 (172-4½). Fikotová regained the lead and won the gold medal with her fifth round throw of 53.69 (176-1¾), Beglyakova holding on for the silver. Romashkova never really factored for the gold but won the bronze. Fikotová also made headlines during the Olympics because she began a much publicized East-West romance with American hammer thrower, Hal Connolly. Overcoming what was described as “mountains of red tape” they fell in love and were married in Praha three months after the Olympics, with Czech distance running legend Emil Zátopek serving as best man. Connolly and Fikotová divorced in 1973. Fikotová-Connolly would eventually compete in five Olympics, the next four representing the United States.

			Results

*Discus Throw*	Women		Final	23 November

Rank	Mark		Athlete	Country	NOC	Age	Records	Notes
1	53.69		Olga Fikotová-Connolly	Czechoslovakia	TCH	24	OR
2	52.54		Irina Beglyakova	Soviet Union	URS	23	OR
3	52.02		Nina Romashkova-Ponomaryova	Soviet Union	URS	27
4	51.35		Earlene Brown	United States	USA	21
5	48.20		Albina Yelkina	Soviet Union	URS	23
6	46.73		Isabel Avellán	Argentina	ARG	23
7	45.84		Jiřina Němcová-Vobořilová	Czechoslovakia	TCH	19
8	45.78		Štěpánka Mertová	Czechoslovakia	TCH	25
9	43.90		Lia Manoliu	Romania	ROU	24
10	43.34		Marianne Werner	Germany	GER	32
11	42.83		Paola Paternoster	Italy	ITA	20
12	42.16		Nada Kotlušek	Yugoslavia	YUG	22
13	40.84		Lois Jackman	Australia	AUS	18
*Discus Throw*	Women		Qualifying Round	23 November

Rank	Mark		Athlete	Country	NOC	Age	Records	Notes
1	50.77	Q	Olga Fikotová-Connolly	Czechoslovakia	TCH	24
2	48.34	Q	Nina Romashkova-Ponomaryova	Soviet Union	URS	27
3	47.65	Q	Irina Beglyakova	Soviet Union	URS	23
4	46.26	Q	Štěpánka Mertová	Czechoslovakia	TCH	25
5	44.42	Q	Jiřina Němcová-Vobořilová	Czechoslovakia	TCH	19
6T	43.90	Q	Earlene Brown	United States	USA	21
6T	43.90	Q	Albina Yelkina	Soviet Union	URS	23
8	43.87	Q	Lia Manoliu	Romania	ROU	24
9	43.66	Q	Isabel Avellán	Argentina	ARG	23
10	43.41	Q	Marianne Werner	Germany	GER	32
11	42.88	Q	Paola Paternoster	Italy	ITA	20
12	42.45	Q	Nada Kotlušek	Yugoslavia	YUG	22
13	42.21	Q	Lois Jackman	Australia	AUS	18
14	41.45		Suzanne Farmer-Allday	Great Britain	GBR	21
15	41.18		Anne-Chatrine Lafrenz	Germany	GER	20
16	40.91		Ko Nakamura-Yoshino	Japan	JPN	36
17	40.76		Shirley Cotton	Australia	AUS	22
18	40.49		Pam Kurrell	United States	USA	17
19	40.41		Jackie MacDonald	Canada	CAN	24
20	39.91		Marjorie Larney	United States	USA	19
21	36.61		Valerie Lawrence	Australia	AUS	20
22	35.47		Almut Brömmel	Germany	GER	21

Detailed View

Final 16:10	Team	Dist.	1.	2.	3.	4.	5.	6.
1. Olga Fikotova	TCH	53.69m	46.56	50.09	52.04	52.28	53.69	49.98
2. Irina Beglyakova	URS	52.54m	51.74	51.01	52.54	50.32	48.22	48.31
3. Nina Romashkov	URS	52.02m	51.03	51.61	50.17	47.22	52.02	51.10
4. Earlene Brown	USA	51.35m	51.35	42.55	X	X	40.45	44.79
5. Albina Yelkina	URS	48.20m	47.87	X	48.20	45.18	45.45	47.92
6. Isabel Avell�n	ARG	46.73m	46.73	44.84	42.69	46.31	43.88	44.35
7. Jiřina Vobořilova	TCH	45.84m	45.57	X	45.84
8. Štepanka Mertova	TCH	45.78m	41.96	45.78	43.41
9. Lia Manoliu	ROU	43.90m	43.90	43.76	42.72
10.Marianne Werner	GER	43.34m	43.34	41.89	X
11.Paola Paternoster	ITA	42.83m	42.83	40.89	X
12.Nada Kotlusek	YUG	42.16m	41.79	39.89	42.16
13.Lois Jackman	AUS	40.84m	40.84	40.28	40.64

Qualification Round - Friday 23.11 10:00 - mark 42.00m - 13 Athletes

Group	Teamn	Dist.	1.	2.	3.
1. Olga Fikotova	TCH	50.77m	28.60	50.77	-
2. Nina Romashkova	URS	48.34m	48.34	-	-
3. Irina Beglyakova	URS	47.65m	40.77	47.65	-
4. Štepanka Mertova	TCH	46.26m	40.51	46.26	-
5. Jirina Voborilova	TCH	44.42m	44.62	-	-
6. Earlene Brown	USA	43.90m	43.90	-	-
6. Albina Yelkina	URS	43.90m	43.90	-	-
8. Lia Manoliu	ROU	43.87m	43.87	-	-
9. Isabel Avell�n	ARG	43.66m	40.91	43.66	-
10.Marianne Werner	GER	43.41m	40.78	43.41	-
11.Paola Paternoster	ITA	42.88m	42.88	-	-
12.Nada Kotlusek	YUG	42.45m	40.73	42.45	-
13.Lois Jackman	AUS	42.21m	39.25	41.68	42.21
14.Suzanne Farmer-Allday	GBR	41.45m	39.39	38.89	41.45
15.Anne-Cathrine Lafrenz	GER	41.18m	33.72	41.18	41.16
16.Toyoko Nakamura-Yoshino	JPN	40.91m	40.77	36.47	40.91
17.Shirley Cotton	AUS	40.76m	37.74	40.76	39.36
18.Pam Kurrell	USA	40.49m	38.01	40.49	39.92
19.Jackie Macdonald	CAN	40.41m	33.77	33.93	40.41
20.Marjorie Larney	USA	39.91m	39.91	38.04	X
21.Valerie Lawrence	AUS	36.61m	33.84	35.76	36.61
22.Almut Br�mmel	GER	35.47m	X	X	35.47