# Gymnastics at the 1952 Summer Olympics – Women's balance beam

The women's balance beam competition at the 1952 Summer Olympics was held at Messuhalli, Exhibition Hall II from 22 to 23 July, 1952. It was the first appearance of the event, though balance beam exercise were part of the women's team all-around events in 1936 and 1948.

## Competition format

The gymnastics format continued to use the aggregation format. Each nation entered a team of eight gymnasts or up to three individual gymnasts. All entrants in the gymnastics competitions performed both a compulsory exercise and a voluntary exercise for each apparatus. The four apparatus that became standard (floor, balance beam, uneven bars, and vault) were all used in the same Games for the first time.
No separate finals were contested.
For each individual exercise, five judges gave scores from 0 to 10 in one-tenth point increments. The top and bottom scores were discarded and the remaining three scores averaged to give the exercise total. Thus, exercise scores ranged from 0 to 10 and apparatus scores from 0 to 20.
The competitor had the option to make a second try only on the compulsory exercise—with the second attempt counting regardless of whether it was better than the first. For voluntary exercises, only one attempt could be made.

## Results

| Rank | Gymnast | Nation | Compulsory | Voluntary | Total |
| | Nina Bocharova | Soviet Union | 9.46 | 9.76 | 19.22 |
| | Maria Gorokhovskaya | Soviet Union | 9.43 | 9.70 | 19.13 |
| | Margit Korondi | Hungary | 9.46 | 9.56 | 19.02 |
| 4 | Ágnes Keleti | Hungary | 9.43 | 9.53 | 18.96 |
| 5 | Galina Urbanovich | Soviet Union | 9.40 | 9.53 | 18.93 |
| 6 | Olga Tass | Hungary | 9.40 | 9.46 | 18.86 |
| 6 | Tsvetanka Stancheva | Bulgaria | 9.43 | 9.43 | 18.86 |
| 8 | Galina Shamrai | Soviet Union | 9.43 | 9.36 | 18.79 |
| 9 | Pelageya Danilova | Soviet Union | 9.26 | 9.50 | 18.76 |
| 10 | Galina Minaicheva | Soviet Union | 9.13 | 9.53 | 18.66 |
| 10 | Ivanka Dolzheva | Bulgaria | 9.36 | 9.30 | 18.66 |
| 12 | Saltirka Spasova-Tarpova | Bulgaria | 9.26 | 9.33 | 18.59 |
| 13 | Eva Věchtová | Czechoslovakia | 9.03 | 9.53 | 18.56 |
| 14 | Věra Vančurová | Czechoslovakia | 9.00 | 9.50 | 18.50 |
| 15 | Medea Jugeli | Soviet Union | 9.13 | 9.36 | 18.49 |
| 16 | Erzsébet Gulyás-Köteles | Hungary | 9.06 | 9.33 | 18.39 |
| 17 | Edit Perényi-Weckinger | Hungary | 9.06 | 9.30 | 18.36 |
| 18 | Ekaterina Kalinchuk | Soviet Union | 8.96 | 9.36 | 18.32 |
| 19 | Vasilka Stancheva | Bulgaria | 9.16 | 9.06 | 18.22 |
| 20 | Raili Tuominen-Hämäläinen | Finland | 9.10 | 9.10 | 18.20 |
| 21 | Božena Srncová | Czechoslovakia | 9.13 | 9.06 | 18.19 |
| 22 | Alena Chadimová | Czechoslovakia | 8.83 | 9.33 | 18.16 |
| 22 | Gun Röring | Sweden | 8.83 | 9.33 | 18.16 |
| 24 | Olga Göllner | Romania | 9.16 | 8.96 | 18.12 |
| 25 | Jana Rabasová | Czechoslovakia | 8.93 | 9.13 | 18.06 |
| 25 | Ginette Durand | France | 8.66 | 9.40 | 18.06 |
| 25 | Matylda Šínová | Czechoslovakia | 8.73 | 9.36 | 18.06 |
| 28 | Irma Walther | Germany | 8.80 | 9.23 | 18.03 |
| 29 | Karin Lindberg | Sweden | 8.76 | 9.26 | 18.02 |
| 30 | Rayna Grigorova | Bulgaria | 9.00 | 8.96 | 17.96 |
| 31 | Stela Perin | Romania | 8.80 | 9.13 | 17.93 |
| 31 | Hana Bobková | Czechoslovakia | 8.63 | 9.30 | 17.93 |
| 33 | Mária Kövi-Zalai | Hungary | 8.60 | 9.30 | 17.90 |
| 34 | Stoyanka Angelova | Bulgaria | 8.76 | 9.03 | 17.79 |
| 35 | Stefania Świerzy | Poland | 8.43 | 9.33 | 17.76 |
| 36 | Lydia Zeitlhofer | Germany | 8.80 | 8.93 | 17.73 |
| 37 | Irène Pittelioen | France | 8.30 | 9.40 | 17.70 |
| 38 | Alexandra Lemoine | France | 8.46 | 9.23 | 17.69 |
| 39 | Helena Rakoczy | Poland | 8.26 | 9.40 | 17.66 |
| 39 | Ileana Gyarfaş | Romania | 8.63 | 9.03 | 17.66 |
| 41 | Evy Berggren | Sweden | 8.26 | 9.36 | 17.62 |
| 42 | Hanna Grages | Germany | 8.46 | 9.13 | 17.59 |
| 42 | Yordanka Yovkova | Bulgaria | 8.86 | 8.73 | 17.59 |
| 44 | Milica Rožman | Yugoslavia | 8.43 | 9.13 | 17.56 |
| 45 | Lenie Gerrietsen | Netherlands | 8.53 | 9.00 | 17.53 |
| 46 | Liliane Montagne | France | 8.40 | 9.10 | 17.50 |
| 47 | Lidia Pitteri | Italy | 8.46 | 9.03 | 17.49 |
| 48 | Ruth Grulkowski | United States | 8.56 | 8.90 | 17.46 |
| 49 | Göta Pettersson | Sweden | 8.40 | 9.03 | 17.43 |
| 50 | Miranda Cicognani | Italy | 8.56 | 8.86 | 17.42 |
| 51 | Sonja Rožman | Yugoslavia | 8.33 | 9.06 | 17.39 |
| 52 | Arja Lehtinen | Finland | 8.50 | 8.86 | 17.36 |
| 52 | Olga Munteanu | Romania | 8.80 | 8.56 | 17.36 |
| 52 | Cissy Davies | Great Britain | 8.46 | 8.90 | 17.36 |
| 55 | Wolfgard Voß | Germany | 8.66 | 8.66 | 17.32 |
| 56 | Vappu Salonen | Finland | 8.60 | 8.70 | 17.30 |
| 56 | Zofia Kowalczyk | Poland | 8.20 | 9.10 | 17.30 |
| 56 | Liliana Scaricabarozzi | Italy | 8.60 | 8.70 | 17.30 |
| 56 | Tootje Selbach | Netherlands | 8.40 | 8.90 | 17.30 |
| 60 | Grazia Bozzo | Italy | 8.46 | 8.83 | 17.29 |
| 60 | Annie Ros | Netherlands | 8.33 | 8.96 | 17.29 |
| 62 | Helga Bîrsan | Romania | 8.60 | 8.66 | 17.26 |
| 63 | Hjördis Nordin | Sweden | 8.30 | 8.93 | 17.23 |
| 63 | Gwynedd Lewis-Lingard | Great Britain | 8.40 | 8.83 | 17.23 |
| 65 | Barbara Wilk-Ślizowska | Poland | 8.10 | 9.10 | 17.20 |
| 66 | Licia Macchini | Italy | 8.23 | 8.96 | 17.19 |
| 66 | Ingrid Sandahl | Sweden | 8.33 | 8.86 | 17.19 |
| 66 | Raili Hoviniemi | Finland | 8.23 | 8.96 | 17.19 |
| 69 | Meta Elste | United States | 8.20 | 8.96 | 17.16 |
| 69 | Pirkko Vilppunen | Finland | 8.46 | 8.70 | 17.16 |
| 69 | Teofila Băiașu | Romania | 8.56 | 8.60 | 17.16 |
| 72 | Marija Ivandekić | Yugoslavia | 8.30 | 8.80 | 17.10 |
| 73 | Inge Sedlmaier | Germany | 8.56 | 8.53 | 17.09 |
| 73 | Marian Barone | United States | 8.23 | 8.86 | 17.09 |
| 75 | Elisabeth Ostermeyer | Germany | 8.36 | 8.70 | 17.06 |
| 76 | Honorata Marcińczak | Poland | 8.00 | 9.03 | 17.03 |
| 77 | Elisabetta Durelli | Italy | 8.46 | 8.56 | 17.02 |
| 77 | Hedwig Traindl | Austria | 8.16 | 8.86 | 17.02 |
| 79 | Gerti Fesl | Austria | 8.16 | 8.80 | 16.96 |
| 79 | Dorota Horzonek-Jokiel | Poland | 7.76 | 9.20 | 16.96 |
| 81 | Tanja Žutić | Yugoslavia | 8.40 | 8.53 | 16.93 |
| 82 | Nada Spasić | Yugoslavia | 8.40 | 8.50 | 16.90 |
| 82 | Cootje van Kampen-Tonneman | Netherlands | 8.20 | 8.70 | 16.90 |
| 84 | Luciana Reali | Italy | 8.36 | 8.53 | 16.89 |
| 85 | Ann-Sofi Pettersson-Colling | Sweden | 8.43 | 8.43 | 16.86 |
| 85 | Renata Bianchi | Italy | 8.36 | 8.50 | 16.86 |
| 85 | Maila Nisula | Finland | 8.03 | 8.83 | 16.86 |
| 88 | Ada Smolnikar | Yugoslavia | 8.50 | 8.33 | 16.83 |
| 88 | Huiberdina Krul-van der Nolk van Gogh | Netherlands | 8.13 | 8.70 | 16.83 |
| 90 | Trude Gollner-Kolar | Austria | 7.80 | 8.93 | 16.73 |
| 91 | Alena Reichová | Czechoslovakia | 8.66 | 8.00 | 16.66 |
| 92 | Edeltraud Schramm | Austria | 8.06 | 8.56 | 16.62 |
| 93 | Irén Daruházi-Karcsics | Hungary | 9.13 | 7.42 | 16.56 |
| 94 | Andrea Bodó | Hungary | 9.03 | 7.50 | 16.53 |
| 94 | Stefania Reindl | Poland | 7.43 | 9.10 | 16.53 |
| 96 | Dália da Cunha-Sammer | Portugal | 7.60 | 8.90 | 16.50 |
| 97 | Ida Kadlec | Austria | 7.86 | 8.60 | 16.46 |
| 98 | Colette Hué | France | 8.40 | 7.96 | 16.36 |
| 98 | Gertrude Gries | Austria | 7.93 | 8.43 | 16.36 |
| 100 | Ruth Topalian | United States | 8.13 | 8.20 | 16.33 |
| 101 | Anka Drinić | Yugoslavia | 7.86 | 8.64 | 16.32 |
| 102 | Vanja Blomberg | Sweden | 8.36 | 7.93 | 16.29 |
| 103 | Nanny Simon | Netherlands | 8.06 | 8.20 | 16.26 |
| 103 | Jo Cox-Ladru | Netherlands | 7.96 | 8.30 | 16.26 |
| 105 | Tereza Kočiš | Yugoslavia | 8.43 | 7.80 | 16.23 |
| 106 | Maria Laura Amorim | Portugal | 7.60 | 8.60 | 16.20 |
| 107 | Gertrude Winnige-Barosch | Austria | 8.26 | 7.93 | 16.19 |
| 108 | Jeanette Vogelbacher | France | 7.83 | 8.33 | 16.16 |
| 109 | Margo Morgan | Great Britain | 8.03 | 8.10 | 16.13 |
| 110 | Marjorie Raistrick | Great Britain | 7.53 | 8.56 | 16.09 |
| 111 | Margaret Thomas-Neale | Great Britain | 8.03 | 7.96 | 15.99 |
| 112 | Bergljot Sandvik-Johansen | Norway | 7.76 | 8.16 | 15.92 |
| 113 | Eveline Slavici | Romania | 8.53 | 7.33 | 15.86 |
| 114 | Hildegard Grill | Austria | 7.90 | 7.83 | 15.73 |
| 115 | Colette Fanara | France | 8.20 | 7.43 | 15.63 |
| 115 | Pat Hirst | Great Britain | 8.40 | 7.23 | 15.63 |
| 117 | Dorothy Dalton | United States | 8.03 | 7.40 | 15.43 |
| 118 | Clara Schroth-Lomady | United States | 8.40 | 6.96 | 15.36 |
| 119 | Madeleine Jouffroy | France | 8.53 | 6.80 | 15.33 |
| 120 | Penka Prisadashka | Bulgaria | 8.50 | 6.63 | 15.13 |
| 121 | Norveig Karlsen | Norway | 6.53 | 8.53 | 15.06 |
| 122 | Brigitte Kiesler | Germany | 6.70 | 8.30 | 15.00 |
| 123 | Toetie Selbach | Netherlands | 8.16 | 6.76 | 14.92 |
| 124 | Pirkko Pyykönen | Finland | 8.46 | 6.33 | 14.79 |
| 125 | Irene Hirst | Great Britain | 7.93 | 6.80 | 14.73 |
| 126 | Marie Hoesly | United States | 8.40 | 6.30 | 14.70 |
| 127 | Raija Simola | Finland | 8.23 | 6.33 | 14.56 |
| 128 | Natália Silva | Portugal | 6.96 | 7.56 | 14.52 |
| 129 | Grethe Werner | Norway | 7.63 | 6.56 | 14.19 |
| 130 | Valerie Mullins | Great Britain | 8.00 | 6.10 | 14.10 |
| 131 | Elisabeta Abrudeanu | Romania | 8.16 | 5.83 | 13.99 |
| 132 | Urszula Łukomska | Poland | 7.86 | 4.50 | 12.36 |
| 133 | Hilde Koop | Germany | 4.46 | 7.36 | 11.82 |
| 134 | Doris Kirkman | United States | 8.10 | — | 8.10 |