Olga Connolly

Event: Discus

Inducted to Hall of Fame: 1997

Olga won the first two women's discus competitions held at the Relays. She was already internationally known before she first set foot in the Mt. SAC discus circle.

In 1956, she won a gold medal at the Melbourne Olympics for Czechoslovakia while competing under her maiden name Olga Fikotova. It was at that Olympics that she met America's gold medal winning hammer thrower, Hal Connolly. They later married, and Olga began to compete for the U.S.

Olga would make four more Olympic teams as a U.S. citizen. Although she did not win another medal, she did win the respect of her teammates so much that she was elected to carry the U.S. flag at the opening ceremony of the 1972 Munich Olympics.

Olga captured five U.S. national titles. She raised the American record four times, adding over 15 feet to the previous record.

Born: 1932

• 1960: 1st, 169-5 1/2 (51.64m)
• 1962: 1st, 164-7 1/2 (50.16m)

• PR: 189-0 (57.60m)
• Broke American record 4 times:
  • 1958: 169-9 3/8 (51.75m)
  • 1968: 178-5 (54.38m)
  • 1972: 179-2 (54.62m)
  • 1972: 185-3 (56.46m)
• Olympic Gold Medal, 1956
  • 176-1 1/2 (53.69m)
• Olympic 6th place finish, 1968
  • 173-9 (52.96m)
• Olympic 7th place finish, 1960
  • 167-1 1/2 (50.95m)
• U.S. National Champion:
  • 1957: 147-8
  • 1960: 159-6 1/2
  • 1962: 172-2
  • 1964: 158-4
  • 1968: 170-10