# Athletics at the 1972 Summer Olympics – Women's javelin throw

The women's javelin throw field event at the 1972 Olympic Games took place on August 31 & September 1. On 11 June 1972 Ewa Gryziecka from Poland broke the javelin throw world record with a throw of 62.70m only to have Ruth Fuchs break that record on the same day with a throw of 65.06m. In 1972 Fuchs was the strong favorite heading in the Olympics. Kate Schmidt took the early lead on the first throw, but this was soon passed by the favorite on the second throw. She ended up topping her own mark two more time in rounds four and five. Fuchs would go one and set the new javelin world record in 1973, 1974 and 1976.

## Records

| Standing records prior to the 1972 Summer Olympics |
| World Record | Ruth Fuchs (GDR) | 65.06 m | June 11, 1972 | Potsdam, East Germany |
| Olympic record | Yelena Gorchakova (URS) | 62.40 m | October 16, 1964 | Tokyo, Japan |
| Broken records during the 1972 Summer Olympics |
| Olympic record | Ruth Fuchs (GDR) | 63.88 m | September 1, 1972 | Munich, West Germany |

## Results

All throwers reaching 54.00 m (177 ft 2 in) and the top 12 including ties, advanced to the finals. Throwers in blue qualified by reaching the qualifying distance. Throwers listed in green qualified by being in the top 12. All distances are listed in metres.

### Qualifying

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Mark | 1st throw | 2nd throw | 3rd throw |
| 1 | Ruth Fuchs | East Germany | 60.88 | x | 60.88 | p |
| 2 | Jacqueline Todten | East Germany | 59.62 | 59.62 | p | p |
| 3 | Kate Schmidt | United States | 58.84 | 52.26 | 58.84 | p |
| 4 | Nataša Urbančič | Yugoslavia | 57.02 | 57.02 | p | p |
| 5 | Mária Kucserka | Hungary | 56.72 | 56.72 | p | p |
| 6 | Lyutviyan Mollova | Bulgaria | 56.30 | 56.30 | p | p |
| 7 | Eva Janko | Austria | 56.18 | 56.18 | p | p |
| 8 | Svetlana Korolyova | Soviet Union | 55.90 | 55.90 | p | p |
| 9 | Anneliese Gerhards | West Germany | 55.24 | 55.24 | p | p |
| 10 | Éva Zörgő | Romania | 54.34 | 54.34 | p | p |
| 11 | Ewa Gryziecka | Poland | 53.68 | 53.68 | x | 51.56 |
| 12 | Magda Paulányi | Hungary | 53.62 | 53.62 | 52.87 | 52.78 |
| 13 | Angéla Németh | Hungary | 53.48 | 53.48 | x | 51.40 |
| 14 | Daniela Jaworska | Poland | 52.40 | 44.68 | 52.40 | 50.16 |
| 15 | Sherry Calvert | United States | 51.38 | x | 51.38 | 51.00 |
| 16 | Nina Marakina | Soviet Union | 51.06 | 51.06 | 41.64 | x |
| 17 | Marion Becker | Romania | 50.74 | x | 48.70 | 50.74 |
| 18 | Ameli Koloska | West Germany | 48.42 | 48.42 | x | x |
| 19 | Roberta Brown | United States | 47.88 | x | 47.88 | x |
| – | Rosa Molina | Chile | DNS |

### Final

| Rank | Name | Nationality | Mark | 1st throw | 2nd throw | 3rd throw | 4th throw | 5th throw | 6th throw |
| | Ruth Fuchs | East Germany | 63.88 OR | 57.44 | 60.20 | 50.20 | 61.16 | 63.88 | 59.16 |
| | Jacqueline Todten | East Germany | 62.54 | x | 55.44 | 57.18 | 59.70 | 56.92 | 62.54 |
| | Kate Schmidt | United States | 59.94 | 59.94 | 58.32 | 59.84 | x | 48.80 | 56.10 |
| 4 | Lyutviyan Mollova | Bulgaria | 59.36 | 56.46 | 59.36 | 55.10 | x | 56.00 | 58.44 |
| 5 | Nataša Urbančič | Yugoslavia | 59.06 | x | x | 56.48 | 56.38 | 59.06 | x |
| 6 | Eva Janko | Austria | 58.56 | x | 58.50 | x | x | 58.56 | 52.06 |
| 7 | Ewa Gryziecka | Poland | 57.00 | 44.40 | 47.34 | 57.00 | 55.88 | 54.86 | x |
| 8 | Svetlana Korolyova | Soviet Union | 56.36 | 56.30 | 55.08 | x | x | 56.36 | x |
| 9 | Anneliese Gerhards | West Germany | 55.84 | 54.84 | 55.84 | 54.72 |
| 10 | Mária Kucserka | Hungary | 54.40 | x | x | 54.40 |
| 11 | Magda Paulányi | Hungary | 52.36 | x | x | 52.36 |
| – | Éva Zörgő | Romania | NM | x | x | x |
Key: OR = Olympic record; p = pass; x = fault; NM = no mark