Faina Melnyk, Ukrainian-born Russian discus thrower, Died at 71

  Sports

Faina Grigorievna Melnik was born on June 9, 1945, in Bakota, Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine and died on December 16, 2016.

She was a Soviet discus thrower, a 1972 Summer Olympics champion in the discus event.

Over the period of her career, she set 11 world records.

He was Jewish.

During the 1972 Summer Olympics, she broke the Olympic record three times, and set a world record at 66.62 metres.

During 1976, she had her best ever discus throw of 70.50 m, but finished only fourth at the 1976 Summer Olympics.

During that time, she also competed in the shot put and finished tenth. She failed to reach the final in the discus event at the 1980 Games.

After the 1980 Olympics she still when on, she set the masters world record in the W35 division that has stood since 1980.

He graduated from the Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry and later worked as a dentist and athletics coach in Moscow.

Faina’s trainees include Natalya Lisovskaya and Svetlana Krivelyova.

She was married to Velko Velev, a Bulgarian discus thrower who also competed at the 1976 and 1980 Olympics.

Faina Melnyk passed away at 71 years old.