Faina Melnik

{{Infobox sportsperson

| name =

| image = Faina Melnyk 1972.jpg

| image_size =

| caption = Faina Melnik at the 1972 Olympics

| fullname =

| nationality = Soviet

| residence =

| birth_name = Faina Grigorievna Melnik

| birth_date = 9 June 1945

| birth_place = Bakota, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union

| death_date = {{death date and age|2016|12|16|1945|6|9|df=yes}}

| death_place = Moscow, Russia

| height = {{convert|1.74|m|ftin|abbr=on}}

| weight = {{convert|88|kg|lb|abbr=on}}

| headercolor = lightsteelblue

| country = {{URS}}

| sport = Discus throw, shot put

|pb=DT – 70.50 m (1976)
SP – 20.03 m (1976)

| club = Sevan Yerevan (1969–73)
Spartak Moscow (1976–80)

| retired =

| olympics =

| highestranking =

| show-medals = yes

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalCountry |the {{URS}} }}

}}

Faina Grigorievna Veleva-Melnik ({{langx|ru|Фаина Григорьевна Велева-Мельник}}; {{langx|uk|Фаїна Григорівна Велєва-Мельник|Faina Hryhorivna Velieva-Melnyk}}; {{née|Melnik}}; 9 June 1945 – 16 December 2016) was a Soviet discus thrower, a 1972 Summer Olympics champion in the discus event. During her career she set 11 world records.{{cite book|author=Paul Taylor |title=Jews and the Olympic Games: The Clash Between Sport and Politics : with a Complete Review of Jewish Olympic Medallists |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tGcPDXOjxMoC&pg=PA236 |year=2004 |publisher=Sussex Academic Press |isbn=978-1-903900-87-1 |pages=236–}}

Career

File:Faina Melnyk 2010 Armenian stamp.jpg

Melnik was Jewish, and was born in Bakota, Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine. At the 1972 Summer Olympics, she broke the Olympic record three times, and set a world record at 66.62 metres. She had already broken the world record, at the 1971 European Athletics Championships, representing the then Soviet Union.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/08/13/archives/soviet-woman-sets-world-discus-mark.html|title=Soviet Woman Sets World Discus Mark|date=August 13, 1971|website=New York Times|access-date=March 26, 2022}} In 1976 she had her best ever discus throw of 70.50 m, but finished only fourth at the 1976 Summer Olympics. At those Olympics she also competed in the shot put and finished tenth. She failed to reach the final in the discus event at the 1980 Games.[https://web.archive.org/web/20200417174221/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/me/faina-melnik-1.html Faina Melnik]. Sports-reference.com.

Continuing to throw after the 1980 Olympics, she set the masters world record in the W35 division that has stood since 1980.[http://www.world-masters-athletics.org/records/outdoor-women Records Outdoor Women] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111105152/http://www.world-masters-athletics.org/records/outdoor-women |date=11 January 2012 }}. world-masters-athletics.org

Melnik graduated from the Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry and later worked as a dentist and athletics coach in Moscow. Her trainees include Natalya Lisovskaya and Svetlana Krivelyova. Melnik was married to Velko Velev, a Bulgarian discus thrower who also competed at the 1976 and 1980 Olympics.

She later became an inspiration for Miss Trunchbull in the Roald Dahl children's book Matilda.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ranker.com/list/movie-villains-defeated-by-children/jay-newman|title=16 Seemingly Competent Movie Villains Who Were Foiled By Kids|website=Ranker}}

References

External links

{{Commons category-inline}}
[http://www.sporting-heroes.net/athletics-heroes/displayhero.asp?HeroID=435 Sporting Heroes bio]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20070929153715/http://www.databaseolympics.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=MELNIFAI01 dataOlympic profile]

{{succession box|before={{flagicon|FRG}} Liesel Westermann|title=Women's Discus World Record Holder|years=12 August 1971 – 23 September 1972|after={{flagicon|ROU|1965}} Argentina Menis}}

{{succession box|before={{flagicon|ROU|1965}} Argentina Menis|title=Women's Discus World Record Holder|years=25 May 1973 – 12 August 1978|after={{flagicon|GDR}} Evelin Jahl}}

{{succession box|title=Women's Track & Field Athlete of the Year|before={{flagicon|POL}} Irena Szewińska|after={{flagicon|URS}} Tatyana Kazankina|years=1975}}

{{succession box|before={{flagicon|ROU|1965}} Argentina Menis|title=Women's Discus Best Year Performance|years=1973–1976|after={{flagicon|GDR}} Sabine Engel}}

{{USA Indoor Track and Field Championships winners in women's shot put}}

Category:1945 births

Category:2016 deaths

Category:Soviet female discus throwers

Category:Soviet female shot putters

Category:Soviet Jews

Category:Jewish Ukrainian sportspeople

Category:Spartak (sports society) sportspeople

Category:Olympic athletes for the Soviet Union

Category:Olympic gold medalists for the Soviet Union

Category:Ukrainian female discus throwers

Category:Ukrainian female shot putters