Galina Zybina

Galina Zybina

Tamara Press and Galina Zybina (right) at the 1964 Olympics
Personal information
Born	22 January 1931 (1931-01-22) (age 85) Leningrad, Soviet Union
Height	1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Weight	80 kg (180 lb)
Sport
Sport	Shot put Discus throw Javelin throw
Club	Zenit St. Petersburg Trud St. Petersburg[1]
Coached by	Viktor Alekseyev[2]
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	17.50 m (SP, 1964) 48.62 m (DT, 1955) 54.98 m (JT, 1958)
Medal record Representing  Soviet Union Olympic Games 1952 Helsinki Shot put 1956 Melbourne Shot put 1964 Tokyo Shot put European Championships 1954 Bern Shot put 1950 Brussels Javelin 1954 Bern Discus throw 1962 Belgrade Shot put

Galina Ivanovna Zybina (Russian: Галина Ивановна Зыбина, born 22 January 1931) is a retired Russian athlete and coach. She competed in the shot put at the 1952, 1956, 1960 and 1964 Olympics and finished in first, second, seventh and third place, respectively; in 1952 she also finished fourth in the javelin throw. Between 1952 and 1956 she set eight consecutive world records and 14 national records in the shot put.^[3] In 1953, she became the first woman to throw over 16 meters (16.20 m).^[4]

As a child Zybina was much weakened by hunger and cold during the Siege of Leningrad in World War II, which killed her mother and brother,^[3] while her father died at the front lines.^[5] Yet by 1950 she became a top Soviet thrower and won a bronze in the javelin at the European championships. During her entire career as a competitor and coach Zybina accentuated on technique rather than strength. She was left out of the Soviet team before the 1968 Olympics and retired 1969, because of her age, although she was still a second Soviet shot putter. In retirement she worked as athletics coach in Värska, Estonia.^[4]

Zybina was married to Yury Fyodorov, a Russian captain and commander of the Russian cruiser Aurora in 1964–85. The cruiser was famous for starting the 1917 October Revolution, but by 1960s was a museum ship.^[4] In 1959 she gave birth to a son, which partly explains her poor performance at the 1960 Olympics.

References

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