Meg Ritchie
{{Short description|Scottish discus thrower and shot putter}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Meg Stone Ritchie
| image =
| caption =
| nationality = British (Scottish)
| sport = Athletics
| event = discus throw
| club = Edinburgh Southern Harriers
| birth_date = 6 July 1952
| birth_place = Kirkcaldy, Scotland
| death_date =
| death_place =
| height =178 cm
| weight =87 kg
| pb =
}}
Margaret "Meg" Elizabeth Stone Ritchie (born 6 July 1952) is a retired Scottish discus thrower and Shot putter. She reached the Olympic finals at discus in Moscow 1980 (9th) and Los Angeles 1984 (5th). She also won the 1982 Commonwealth Games title. Her discus best of 67.48 metres has stood as the British record since 1981, while her shot put best of 18.99 metres has stood as the Scottish record since 1983.
Athletics career
Born in Kirkcaldy, Fife, Ritchie won the Scottish championships in discus seven times and in shot put she won three Scottish titles. She also won the UK Championships four times in the discus, and three AAA discus titles. Her personal best throw was {{T&Fcalc|67.48}}, achieved in April 1981 in Walnut. This is the current NCAA Women's Outdoor Track and Field and British record.[http://www.gbrathletics.com/uk/wf99.htm UK All-Time Lists: Women - Throws] - GBR Athletics
Ritchie finished second behind fellow Scot Rosemary Payne in the discus event at the 1973 WAAA Championships.{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002137/19730722/323/0042 |title=Athletic Results |work=Sunday Mirror |date=22 July 1973 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription |access-date=7 March 2025 }}{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0004941/19730722/585/0032 |title=Crystal Palace Results |work=Sunday Express |date=22 July 1973 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription |access-date=7 March 2025 }} Two years later she became the British discus champion after winning the British WAAA Championships title at the 1975 WAAA Championships{{cite web|url=https://www.nuts.org.uk/Champs/AAA/index.htm |title=AAA, WAAA and National Championships Medallists |website=National Union of Track Statisticians |access-date=7 March 2025}} and successfully regained the title at the 1977 WAAA Championships and the 1981 WAAA Championships.{{cite web|url=http://www.gbrathletics.com/bc/waaa.htm |title=AAA Championships (women) |website=GBR Athletics |access-date=7 March 2025 }}
Representing the Arizona Wildcats track and field team, in 1982 she won the NCAA Division 1 Championships shot/discus double in America.{{Cite web |title=Meg Ritchie HOF |url=https://arizonawildcats.com/sports/2014/2/11/209403471.aspx |access-date=2024-05-17 |website=University of Arizona Athletics |language=en}} Later that same year she won the discus gold medal at the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane.
In the shot put her personal best was {{T&Fcalc|18.99}}, achieved in May 1983 in Tucson. This is the current Scottish national record
Personal life
Ritchie is married to Dr. Michael H. Stone. She is the Director of East Tennessee State University Sports Performance Enhancement Consortium (SPEC), the Director of the Center of Excellence for Coach Education, and Assistant Coach for Men's and Women's Track and Field at ETSU (Throws). Under her tutelage, the male throwers from ETSU have proceeded to break the indoor shot, discus, hammer, 35 lb weight, and outdoor shot school records. The women have set new records in the 20 lb weight throw and the hammer throw.{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
International competitions
| {{AchievementTable}} |
| colspan="5"|Representing {{GBR2}} / {{SCO}} |
|---|
| rowspan=3|1978
|Prague, Czechoslovakia |13th | |
| rowspan=2|Commonwealth Games
|rowspan=2|Edmonton, Canada |8th |Shot put | |
| 4th
|Discus throw |
| 1979
|Turin, Italy |5th |Discus throw | |
| 1980
|9th |Discus throw |
| 1982
|bgcolor="gold" | 1st |Discus throw |
| rowspan=3|1983
|rowspan=2|World Championships |rowspan=2|Helsinki, Finland |8th | |
| 16th
| |
| European Cup
|London, United Kingdom |5th |Discus throw | |
| 1984
|5th |Discus throw |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{World Athletics}}
- [http://www.sporting-heroes.net/athletics-heroes/displayhero.asp?HeroID=1795 Profile] at Sporting Heroes
- {{SR/Olympics profile|ri/meg-ritchie-1}}
{{Footer Commonwealth Champions Discus Women}}
{{USA Indoor Track and Field Championships winners in women's shot put}}
{{Footer UK NC Discus Women}}
{{Footer Collegiate Track Field Cross Country Athlete Hall of Fame}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ritchie, Meg}}
Category:Sportspeople from Kirkcaldy
Category:British female discus throwers
Category:British female shot putters
Category:Scottish female shot putters
Category:Scottish female discus throwers
Category:Olympic athletes for Great Britain
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1980 Summer Olympics
Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Scotland
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1974 British Commonwealth Games
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1978 Commonwealth Games
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1982 Commonwealth Games
Category:World Athletics Championships athletes for Great Britain
Category:Medallists at the 1982 Commonwealth Games
Category:NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners
Category:Arizona Wildcats women's track and field athletes
Category:NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships winners