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| Event type

Discus Throw, Women

Date28 – 29 July 1976
StatusOlympic
LocationStade olympique, Parc olympique, Montréal, Québec
Participants15 from 9 countries

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.On her fifth throw Melnik was warned by a judge that she was taking too long to complete her throw. The pair got into an argument and eventually the judge reversed his decision. Visibly angered Melnik channelled her aggression and threw the discus to within half a metre of the lead. However the throw was later declared void. 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.

PosNrAthleteNOCQualifyingFinal
1157Evelin SchlaakGDR61.86 (4)69.00 (1)GoldOR
254Mariya VergovaBUL57.96 (10)67.30 (2)Silver
3145Gabriele HinzmannGDR65.12 (1)66.84 (3)Bronze
4347Faina MelnikURS63.74 (2)66.40 (4)
5141Sabine EngelGDR56.94 (11)65.88 (5)
6291Argentina MenisROU59.56 (7)65.38 (6)
782María BetancourtCUB61.46 (5)63.86 (7)
8337Nataliya GorbachovaURS59.84 (6)63.46 (8)
985Carmen RomeroCUB63.40 (3)61.18 (9)
10327Olga AndrianovaURS58.66 (8)60.80 (10)
1162Jane HaistCAN57.98 (9)59.74 (11)
12306Rita PfisterSUI55.94 (12)57.24 (12)
1369Lucette MoreauCAN55.22 (13)55.88 (13)
14 r1/2388Lynne WinbiglerUSA48.22 (14)
AC r1/2276Danuta RosaniPOL[57.78] (DQ)– (DNS)

Qualifying Round (28 July 1976 — 10:20)

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

PosOrdAthleteNOCDistanceR1R2R3
114Gabriele HinzmannGDR65.1265.12--Q
28Faina MelnikURS63.7463.74--Q
35Carmen RomeroCUB63.4063.40--Q
47Evelin SchlaakGDR61.8661.86--Q
515María BetancourtCUB61.4661.46--Q
69Nataliya GorbachovaURS59.8459.84--Q
72Argentina MenisROU59.5659.56--Q
811Olga AndrianovaURS58.6651.7258.66-Q
910Jane HaistCAN57.9852.9657.98-Q
104Mariya VergovaBUL57.9657.96--Q
111Sabine EngelGDR56.9456.94--Q
1212Rita PfisterSUI55.9455.94--Q
136Lucette MoreauCAN55.2251.5654.1255.22Q
1413Lynne WinbiglerUSA48.22×48.2246.96
DQ3Danuta RosaniPOL[57.78][x][57.78][-]1

Final Round (29 July 1976 — 15:00)

PosOrdAthleteNOCDistanceR1R2R3R4R5R6
113Evelin SchlaakGDR69.0069.0066.8066.12×61.2464.80OR
27Mariya VergovaBUL67.3062.2267.3060.4459.8662.70×
310Gabriele HinzmannGDR66.8466.6866.1066.8466.2466.32×
48Faina MelnikURS66.4064.4865.4262.7666.40×64.20
514Sabine EngelGDR65.88×61.1865.4665.8864.9261.18
612Argentina MenisROU65.3862.8262.5063.7064.1465.3863.48
74María BetancourtCUB63.8661.2860.2463.8659.5858.2861.24
811Nataliya GorbachovaURS63.4663.0260.9862.24×63.46×
91Carmen RomeroCUB61.1860.9059.9061.18
105Olga AndrianovaURS60.8060.8056.1859.90
113Jane HaistCAN59.7459.74××
129Rita PfisterSUI57.24×56.7257.24
136Lucette MoreauCAN55.8855.88×53.00
DNS2Danuta RosaniPOL