World Rankings — Women’s Discus Stephanie Brown Trafton’s Beijing win made her the only U.S. No. 1 ever © VICTOR SAILER/PHOTO RUN 1956 1957 1 .......Nina Ponomaryeva (Soviet Union) 1 .......Nina Ponomaryeva (Soviet Union) 2 ..........Olga Connolly (Czechoslovakia) 2 ... Štěpánka Mertová (Czechoslovakia) 3 .......... Irina Beglyakova (Soviet Union) 3 ......... Antonina Popova (Soviet Union) 4 ...............Albina Yelkina (Soviet Union) 4 ................Tamara Press (Soviet Union) 5 ...............................Earlene Brown (US) 5 .......... Irina Beglyakova (Soviet Union) 6 ... Štěpánka Mertová (Czechoslovakia) 6 ...............Doris Lorenz (East Germany) 7 ............................... Paochu Shi (China) 7 ....... Jiřina Němcová (Czechoslovakia) 8 ..Anne-Chatrine Lafrenz (West Germany) 8 ..Anne-Chatrine Lafrenz (West Germany) 9 ................Tamara Press (Soviet Union) 9 .....Marie Simánková (Czechoslovakia) 10 ..... Jiřina Němcová (Czechoslovakia) 10 .............Albina Yelkina (Soviet Union) © Track & Field News 2020 — 1 — World Rankings — Women’s Discus 1958 1962 1 .......Nina Ponomaryeva (Soviet Union) 1 ................Tamara Press (Soviet Union) 2 ................Tamara Press (Soviet Union) 2 ...............Doris Lorenz (East Germany) 3 ... Štěpánka Mertová (Czechoslovakia) 3 ........................Jolán Kleiber (Hungary) 4 .... Kriemhild Limberg (West Germany) 4 ......... Antonina Popova (Soviet Union) 5 ...............Doris Lorenz (East Germany) 5 ....... Jiřina Němcová (Czechoslovakia) 6 ......... Antonina Popova (Soviet Union) 6 .......Nina Ponomaryeva (Soviet Union) 7 .......... Irina Beglyakova (Soviet Union) 7 .... Kriemhild Limberg (West Germany) 8 .............. Irene Schuch (East Germany) 8 .................. Ingrid Lotz (East Germany) 9 .. Yevgenia Kuznetsova (Soviet Union) 9 ... Štěpánka Mertová (Czechoslovakia) 10 ............................. Olga Connolly (US) 10 ....................Val Young (New Zealand) 1959 1963 1 .......Nina Ponomaryeva (Soviet Union) 1 ....... Jiřina Němcová (Czechoslovakia) 2 .... Kriemhild Limberg (West Germany) 2 ................Tamara Press (Soviet Union) 3 ................Tamara Press (Soviet Union) 3 .................. Ingrid Lotz (East Germany) 4 .............. Irene Schuch (East Germany) 4 ...............Doris Lorenz (East Germany) 5 ...............Doris Lorenz (East Germany) 5 ...............Albina Yelkina (Soviet Union) 6 ........... Lamara Tugushi (Soviet Union) 6 .......Nina Ponomaryeva (Soviet Union) 7 .. Yevgenia Kuznetsova (Soviet Union) 7 ..............Hella Ulbricht (East Germany) 8 ......... Antonina Popova (Soviet Union) 8 ........................Jolán Kleiber (Hungary) 9 ............. Kazimiera Rykowska (Poland) 9 .. Yevgenia Kuznetsova (Soviet Union) 10 . Štěpánka Mertová (Czechoslovakia) 10 ........................Lia Manoliu (Romania) 1960 1964 1 .......Nina Ponomaryeva (Soviet Union) 1 ................Tamara Press (Soviet Union) 2 ................Tamara Press (Soviet Union) 2 .................. Ingrid Lotz (East Germany) 3 .. Yevgenia Kuznetsova (Soviet Union) 3 ........... Verzhinia Mikhailova (Bulgaria) 4 ....... Jiřina Němcová (Czechoslovakia) 4 ..........................Lia Manoliu (Romania) 5 ...............Doris Lorenz (East Germany) 5 .. Yevgenia Kuznetsova (Soviet Union) 6 ..........................Lia Manoliu (Romania) 6 ........................Jolán Kleiber (Hungary) 7 .... Kriemhild Limberg (West Germany) 7 ....... Jiřina Němcová (Czechoslovakia) 8 ...............................Earlene Brown (US) 8 .... Kriemhild Limberg (West Germany) 9 .............. Irene Schuch (East Germany) 9 ...............Doris Lorenz (East Germany) 10 ......... Lamara Tugushi (Soviet Union) 10 ............. Olimpia Cataramă (Romania) 1961 1965 1 ................Tamara Press (Soviet Union) 1 ........................Jolán Kleiber (Hungary) 2 ......... Antonina Popova (Soviet Union) 2 ................Tamara Press (Soviet Union) 3 ...............Doris Lorenz (East Germany) 3 ......................Judit Anahazy (Hungary) 4 .......Nina Ponomaryeva (Soviet Union) 4 ................... Anita Otto (East Germany) 5 ........................Jolán Kleiber (Hungary) 5 ....... Jiřina Němcová (Czechoslovakia) 6 ..........................Lia Manoliu (Romania) 6 ........... Verzhinia Mikhailova (Bulgaria) 7 ............. Kazimiera Rykowska (Poland) 7 .................. Ingrid Lotz (East Germany) 8 .............. Irene Schuch (East Germany) 8 .. Yevgenia Kuznetsova (Soviet Union) 9 .... Kriemhild Limberg (West Germany) 9 .... Kriemhild Limberg (West Germany) 10 ..... Jiřina Němcová (Czechoslovakia) 10 .... Lyudmila Khemelevskaya (Soviet Union) © Track & Field News 2020 — 2 — World Rankings — Women’s Discus 1966 1970 1 ....Christine Spielberg (East Germany) 1 ................. Karin Illgen (East Germany) 2 ... Liesel Westermann (West Germany) 2 ................. Faina Melnik (Soviet Union) 3 ................... Anita Otto (East Germany) 3 ... Liesel Westermann (West Germany) 4 ................Tamara Press (Soviet Union) 4 .............. Anna Mickler (East Germany) 5 ........................Jolán Kleiber (Hungary) 5 .......... Tamara Danilova (Soviet Union) 6 ........... Verzhinia Mikhailova (Bulgaria) 6 ............. Irina Solotsova (Soviet Union) 7 .... Kriemhild Limberg (West Germany) 7 ... Gabrielle Hinzmann (East Germany) 8 .................. Ingrid Lotz (East Germany) 8 ....Christine Spielberg (East Germany) 9 ....... Jiřina Němcová (Czechoslovakia) 9 ..........................Lia Manoliu (Romania) 10 ..............................Tehtsui Liu (China) 10 ..Lyudmila Muravyeva (Soviet Union) 1967 1971 1 ... Liesel Westermann (West Germany) 1 ................. Faina Melnik (Soviet Union) 2 ................. Karin Illgen (East Germany) 2 ... Liesel Westermann (West Germany) 3 ........................Jolán Kleiber (Hungary) 3 ....Lyudmila Muravyeva (Soviet Union) 4 ....Lyudmila Muravyeva (Soviet Union) 4 .......... Tamara Danilova (Soviet Union) 5 ................... Anita Otto (East Germany) 5 ..................Argentina Menis (Romania) 6 ....Christine Spielberg (East Germany) 6 ................. Karin Illgen (East Germany) 7 ......................Judit Anahazy (Hungary) 7 ............... Olimpia Cataramă (Romania) 8 ... Lyudmila Khemelevskaya (Soviet Union) 8 ..........................Lia Manoliu (Romania) 9 ....Brigitte Berendonk (West Germany) 9 ....Christine Spielberg (East Germany) 10 ...................... Judit Bognár (Hungary) 10 ............ Anna Mickler (East Germany) 1968 1972 1 ..........................Lia Manoliu (Romania) 1 ................. Faina Melnik (Soviet Union) 2 ... Liesel Westermann (West Germany) 2 ..................Argentina Menis (Romania) 3 ................. Karin Illgen (East Germany) 3 ... Liesel Westermann (West Germany) 4 ........................Jolán Kleiber (Hungary) 4 ................... Vasilka Stoyeva (Bulgaria) 5 ................... Anita Otto (East Germany) 5 .......... Tamara Danilova (Soviet Union) 6 ......... Antonina Popova (Soviet Union) 6 ... Gabrielle Hinzmann (East Germany) 7 ....Christine Spielberg (East Germany) 7 ..................Carmen Ionescu (Romania) 8 ............................... Olga Connolly (US) 8 ..........................Lia Manoliu (Romania) 9 ....Lyudmila Muravyeva (Soviet Union) 9 ....Lyudmila Muravyeva (Soviet Union) 10 ....................Judit Anahazy (Hungary) 10 ............. Olimpia Cataramă (Romania) 1969 1973 1 ... Liesel Westermann (West Germany) 1 ................. Faina Melnik (Soviet Union) 2 .......... Tamara Danilova (Soviet Union) 2 ..................Argentina Menis (Romania) 3 ................. Karin Illgen (East Germany) 3 ... Gabrielle Hinzmann (East Germany) 4 ....Lyudmila Muravyeva (Soviet Union) 4 ... Liesel Westermann (West Germany) 5 ..........................Lia Manoliu (Romania) 5 ... Nadezhda Sergeyeva (Soviet Union) 6 ......... Antonina Popova (Soviet Union) 6 ..................Svetla Bozhkova (Bulgaria) 7 ... Gabrielle Hinzmann (East Germany) 7 ............... Olimpia Cataramă (Romania) 8 ............... Olimpia Cataramă (Romania) 8 ................... Vasilka Stoyeva (Bulgaria) 9 ................... Anita Otto (East Germany) 9 ...................... Maria Petkova (Bulgaria) 10 ....................Judit Anahazy (Hungary) 10 ........ Tamara Danilova (Soviet Union) © Track & Field News 2020 — 3 — World Rankings — Women’s Discus 1974 1978 1 ................. Faina Melnik (Soviet Union) 1 ..................Evelin Jahl (East Germany) 2 ..................Argentina Menis (Romania) 2 ................. Faina Melnik (Soviet Union) 3 ... Gabrielle Hinzmann (East Germany) 3 ..............Margitta Pufe (East Germany) 4 ...................... Maria Petkova (Bulgaria) 4 .... Natalya Gorbachova (Soviet Union) 5 ............. Karin Höldtke (East Germany) 5 .............. Sabine Engel (East Germany) 6 ............... Olimpia Cataramă (Romania) 6 .......... Svetlana Petrova (Soviet Union) 7 ... Liesel Westermann (West Germany) 7 ..................Svetla Bozhkova (Bulgaria) 8 ................... Vasilka Stoyeva (Bulgaria) 8 ......... Lyudmila Isayeva (Soviet Union) 9 ............ Annelie Braun (East Germany) 9 .....Tatyana Berezhnaya (Soviet Union) 10 . Helena Vyhnalová (Czechoslovakia) 10 .......Jitka Prouzová (Czechoslovakia) 1975 1979 1 ................. Faina Melnik (Soviet Union) 1 ..................Evelin Jahl (East Germany) 2 ...................... Maria Petkova (Bulgaria) 2 ......Svetlana Melnikova (Soviet Union) 3 ... Gabrielle Hinzmann (East Germany) 3 ..............Margitta Pufe (East Germany)