Shot Put, Women

The defending champion was Tamara Press and she had won the 1962 European Championships and surpassed the world record twice since the Roma Olympics. Soviet Galina Zybina, the 1952 gold medalist, was competing in her fourth consecutive Olympic final. The day before the shot put started, Press had won a gold medal in the discus throw. The medals and medal order were decided in round one, with Press leading the GDR’s Renate Garisch and Zybina, who would win the silver and bronze medals respectively. But all of them would surpass their early round marks later in the competition. Zybina moved into second after round three but Garisch settled matters in round four with 17.61 (57-9½). Press’s final round was 18.14 (59-6¼) metres, an Olympic record. Zybina’s bronze gave her a full set of medals in this event.