Soviet throwers caused most of the sensations, with Gorchakova, the
1952 bronze medallist, setting a world record of 62.40 in the qualifying
round, and Ozoliņa, the firm favourite to retain her title, had a miser-
able final and placed only fifth with 54.81. Ozoliņa was so upset that
she had her head shaved, which sadly reflected the anger she felt for
herself. She had been chasing Mihaela Peneş, the precocious 17 year-
old Romanian, who improved her best by over 4m with her opening
throw of 60.54. At 1.84/94kg, she was a dominant presence in Tokyo
winning by over 2m from Rudásné, who nevertheless set a Hungarian
record in beating Gorchakova for the silver. The Russian thus won a
second bronze medal after a gap of 12 years.
Romania
Hungary
Soviet Union
Japan
Germany
Great Britain
France
United States
Australia
South Korea