Discus Throw, Women

The Soviet-led boycott made this a second-class meet, as the best throwers were the women from the USSR, the GDR, and Bulgaria. The favorite to win was Dutchwoman Ria Stalman and she came through. She took the lead in round one with 64.50 (211-7½) but American Leslie Deniz moved ahead in the fifth round with 64.86 (212-9½). Stalman came through in the final round, however, with 65.36 (214-5¼) to win her gold medal. Concurrent with the Olympics, the Eastern Bloc competed at the Friendship Games in Praha, Czechoslovakia. There GDR thrower Irina Meszynski (who never competed in the Olympics) broke the world record with 73.36 (240-8¼). The first seven throwers in that competition bettered Stalman’s gold medal winning throw.

In January 2016, Ria Stalman, admitted that she had been doping at the time of the 1984 Olympics, and winning her gold medal. She noted that “in the last two and a half years of my career I took a small daily dose of anabolic steroids.” Stalman said she decided to begin doping after seeing bulky Eastern Bloc throwers commonly out-throw her. She stated, “‘if you can’t beat them, join them,’ and that’s what I did.” Given what we subsequently learned about the East German and Soviet doping programs, it is highly likely that most of the top finishers at the Friendship Games were also on PEDs.