Faina Melnyk

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Medal record
Faina Melnyk
Women's Athletics
Competitor for Soviet Union
Olympic Games
Gold	1972 Munich	Discus throw

Faina Grigorievna Veleva-Melnik or Faina Hryhorivna Velieva-Melnyk (Ukrainian: Фаїна Григорівна Мельник or Russian: Фаина Григорьевна Велева-Мельник; born July 9, 1945, in Bakota, Khmelnytskyi Oblast, Ukrainian SSR) was an Ukraininan discus thrower of Jewish descent, a 1972 Summer Olympics champion in the discus event.

She competed for VSS Sevan (1969-73), and later for VSS Spartak (1976-80).

She set the world record twice.

Melnik, one of the most dominant track and field athletes of the 1970s, held the # 1 ranking in women's discus from 1971-77, the third longest world's # 1 ranking streak in women's track and field history.

At the 1971 European Championships in Helsinki, during her international debut, she set a world record in the discus throw (64.22 meters).

In 1972 at the Munich Olympic Games, she established another World record (with her final throw) of 66.62 metres. During the contest she broke the Olympic record three times, with each of her three final throws.

She took her second European title in 1974 at Rome with a throw of exactly 69.00 metres.

Melnik was the first woman to break the 70-meter mark in 1975. Her personal best was 70.50 m in 1976. At the Olympic Games in 1976 se received a 4th place.

In 1977, she won the first World Cup discus competition in Dusseldorf.

A member of the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, Melnick is currently a teacher in Moscow.

[edit] References

Records
Preceded by Liesel Westermann	Women's Discus World Record Holder August 12, 1971 – September 23, 1972	Succeeded by Argentina Menis
Preceded by Argentina Menis	Women's Discus World Record Holder May 25, 1973 – August 12, 1978	Succeeded by Evelin Jahl
Awards
Preceded by Irena Szewinska	Women's Track & Field Athlete of the Year 1975	Succeeded by Tatyana Kazankina
Sporting positions
Preceded by Unknown	Women's Discus Best Year Performance 1973 – 1976	Succeeded by Sabine Engel