Sport-Olympic.com

All Athletics Menu

1976 Olympic Games Montreal - Women's Discus Throw

Print
Email

Details: Parent Category: Olympic Games (Athletics); Category: 1976 Olympic Games Montreal - (Athletics); Last Updated: 30 July 2016; Hits: 1437

Tags:

Host City: Montréal, Canada

Format: Top 12 and ties and all those reaching 55.00 metres advanced to the final.

Date Started: July 28, 1976

Date Finished: July 29, 1976

(Competitors: 15; Countries: 9; Finalists: 14)

Venue(s): Olympic Stadium, Olympic Park, Montréal, Québec

Overview by IAAF

Melnik was described by Track and Field News as “a certainty”. She took the lead in round 1 with 64.48, only to be passed by the opening throws of Hinzmann (66.68) and Schlaak, whose 69.00 was a GDR record and moved her to third on the all-time list. Melnik improved to 65.42 and finally 66.40 in round 4, but had slipped out of the medals after Vergova threw 67.30 in the second round. Melnik’s fifth-round throw of 68.60 brought her up to second, but it was later ruled illegal because Melnik had stepped in front of the circle before her throw. The high standard was emphasised by Menis’s 65.38 for sixth place, which was further than she threw for silver in 1972. Danuta Rosani (POL) reached the final but was disqualified after failing a doping test; it was the first such disqualification in Olympic athletics.

Summary by Sports-reference.com

Defending champion Faina Melnik was considered a certainty for the gold medal. She had won the European Championships in 1971 and 1974 and set 10 world records since 1971. She opened with 64.48 (211-6¾) to take the lead but was surpassed first by GDR’s Gabriele Hinzmann (66.68) and then Evelin Schlaak, who broke the GDR record with 69.00 (226-4½), which was the third best throw ever. That would eventually stand up for the gold medal. Bulgaria’s Mariya Vergova moved into second in round two with 67.30 (220-9¾) and would win the silver medal. Melnik was a strange non-factor for the gold, and failed to medal. Poland’s Danuta Rosani qualified for the final but before she could compete, was disqualified for doping when her sample showed an anabolic steroid. This was the first Olympic doping positive in track & field athletics.

		Results

*Discus Throw*	Women	Final	29 July

Rank	Mark	Athlete	Country	NOC	Birth Date	Records
1	69.00	Evelin Jahl	East Germany	GDR	28 Mar 56
2	67.30	Mariya Petkova	Bulgaria	BUL	3 Nov 50
3	66.84	Gabriele Hinzmann	East Germany	GDR	31 May 47
4	66.40	Faina Melnik	Soviet Union	URS	9 Jun 45
5	65.88	Sabine Engel	East Germany	GDR	21 Apr 54
6	65.38	Argentina Menis	Romania	ROU	19 Jul 48
7	63.86	María Cristina Betancourt	Cuba	CUB	15 Dec 47
8	63.46	Natalya Gorbachova	Soviet Union	URS	24 Jul 47
9	61.18	Carmen Romero	Cuba	CUB	6 Oct 50
10	60.80	Olga Andrianova	Soviet Union	URS	12 Jun 49
11	59.74	Jane Haist	Canada	CAN	16 Mar 49
12	57.24	Rita Pfister	Switzerland	SUI	20 Mar 52
13	55.88	Lucette Moreau	Canada	CAN	17 Jan 56
*Discus Throw*	Women	Qualification	28 July

Rank	Mark	Athlete	Country	NOC	Birth Date	Records
1	65.12	Gabriele Hinzmann	East Germany	GDR	31 May 47
2	63.74	Faina Melnik	Soviet Union	URS	9 Jun 45
3	63.40	Carmen Romero	Cuba	CUB	6 Oct 50
4	61.86	Evelin Jahl	East Germany	GDR	28 Mar 56
5	61.46	María Cristina Betancourt	Cuba	CUB	15 Dec 47
6	59.84	Natalya Gorbachova	Soviet Union	URS	24 Jul 47
7	59.56	Argentina Menis	Romania	ROU	19 Jul 48
8	58.66	Olga Andrianova	Soviet Union	URS	12 Jun 49
9	57.98	Jane Haist	Canada	CAN	16 Mar 49
10	57.96	Mariya Petkova	Bulgaria	BUL	3 Nov 50
11	56.94	Sabine Engel	East Germany	GDR	21 Apr 54
12	55.94	Rita Pfister	Switzerland	SUI	20 Mar 52
13	55.22	Lucette Moreau	Canada	CAN	17 Jan 56
14	48.22	Lynne Winbigler	United States	USA	21 Mar 53
	DQ	Danuta Rosani	Poland	POL	30 Apr 51

Detailed View

Results

Final

Rank	Athlete	1	2	3	4	5	6	Result
	Evelin Schlaak (GDR)	69.00	66.80	66.12	x	61.24	64.80	69.00 m OR
	Mariya Vergova (BUL)	62.22	67.30	60.44	59.86	62.70	x	67.30 m
	Gabriele Hinzmann (GDR)	66.68	66.10	66.84	66.24	66.32	x	66.84 m
4	Faina Melnik (URS)	64.48	65.42	62.76	66.40	x	64.20	66.40 m
5	Sabine Engel (GDR)	x	61.18	65.46	65.88	64.92	61.18	65.88 m
6	Argentina Menis (ROM)	62.82	62.50	63.70	64.14	65.38	63.48	65.38 m
7	María Cristina Betancourt (CUB)	61.28	60.24	63.86	59.58	58.28	61.24	63.86 m
8	Natalia Gorbacheva (URS)	63.02	60.98	62.24	x	63.46	x	63.46 m
9	Carmen Romero (CUB)	60.90	59.90	61.18				61.18 m
10	Olga Andrianova (URS)	60.80	56.18	59.90				60.80 m
11	Jane Haist (CAN)	59.74	x	x				59.74 m
12	Rita Pfister (SUI)	x	56.72	57.24				57.24 m
13	Lucette Moreau (CAN)	55.88	x	53.00				55.88 m

There was a qualifying round held. The only competitor to fail to reach the 55.00m auto qualifying mark was Lynne Winbigler United States with a 48.22m.

Danuta Rosani Poland also competed. Her results have been removed due to her disqualification for using anabolic steroids, the first case of such a disqualification in the sport at the Olympics.

Qualification - Wednesday 28.07

mark 55.00m 15 Athletes

Group 1	Team	Dist	1.	2.	3.
1. Gabriele Hinzmann	GDR	65.12m	65.12
2. Faina Melnik	URS	63.74m	63.74
3. Carmen Romero	CUB	63.40m	63.40
4. Evelin Schlaak	GDR	61.86m	61.86
5. Maria Betancourt	CUB	61.46m	61.46
6. Natalya Gorbatcheva	URS	59.84m	59.84
7. Argentina Menis	ROM	59.56m	59.56
8. Olga Andrianova	URS	58.66m	51.72	58.66
9.Jane Haist	CAN	57.98m	52.96	57.98
10. Maria Vergova	BUL	57.96m	57.96
11. Sabina Engel	GDR	56.94m	56.94
12.Rita Pfister	SUI	55.94m	55.94
13.Lucette Moreau	CAN	55.22m	51.56	54.12	55.22
14.M. Lynne Winbigler	USA	48.22m	X	48.22	46.96
-. Danuta Rosani	POL	NM