Press was again the favourite, though Ponomaryova was there to
defend her title. This time Press was not to be denied; she had the top-
six pre-Olympic performances, but trailed Lotz, who produced a
German record and moved to second place on the world all-time list
with her opening throw of 57.21. Press was placed only fourth until the
penultimate round when she finally connected with a good throw and
reached 57.27 to take the gold medal. Lia Manoliu produced two
throws of more than 56m, and overtook Angelova in the fifth round.
The range of just 57cm between first and fourth made it the closest
Olympic discus in history. Ponomaryova was a below-par 11th with 52.48.