Nataša Urbančič

Slovenian Nataša Urbančič’s star in the sport of javelin was just rising when, at the 1966 European Championships, she suffered a serious knee injury that nearly ended her career. She recovered in time for the 1968 Summer Olympics, however, where she represented Yugoslavia and placed sixth. She remained the prime javelin thrower at the national level for many years, capturing the Yugoslavian javelin title on six occasions (1965, 1969, 1971 through 1974) and winning the Slovenian Sportswoman of the Year Award six consecutive times from 1969 through 1974. Her best result on the international stage, however, was third at the 1974 European Championships. She was, however, a three-time Balkan Champion and also appeared at one more edition of the Olympics, in 1972, finishing fifth. In 1973 she set a Yugoslavian, and later Slovenian, record of 62.12 metres that was not broken until 1995. She later became an athletics coach, serving for nearly three decades, as well as prolific competitor at masters’-level events. In 2002 she set a W55 javelin world record that, as of 2016, still stands. She was inducted into the Slovenian Sports Hall of Fame in 2012, a year after her death.

Personal Best: JT – 62.12 (1973).