Nina DUMBADZE

Nino Dumbadze was undoubtedly the world's best female discus thrower in the 1940s, but as most of her athletics career was during or shortly after World War II, she did not receive much international fame and many of her best throws were never ratified as world records. Dumbadze was born in Ukraine to a Georgian family and took up athletics in 1935. At first Dumbadze competed in jump and sprint events and took up the discus throw in 1937, when her family moved back to Georgia and she met her future coach and husband Boris Diachk'ovi.

Soon Dumbadze rose to be the top female Soviet discus thrower and in 1939 bettered the world record of 48.31 held by German Gisela Mauermayer by throwing 49.11 in Moskva at the 1939 Soviet Championships. This result was never ratified as a world record as the Soviet Union was not a member of the IAAF at the time. During World War II, Dumbadze constantly bettered Mauermayer's world record and in late August 1946, a week after the 1946 European Championships, Dumbadze became the first woman to throw over 50 metres when she threw 50.50 in Sarpsborg, Norway. This result was not ratified by the IAAF either and Dumbadze threw her first official world record in August 1948 when she threw 53.25 in Moskva, bettering Mauermayer's world record by nearly five meters. Dumbadze threw two more official world records during her career – in May 1951 in Gori, Georgia (then part of the Soviet Union) she threw 53.37, and then late in her career, when she was thought to be well past her prime, Dumbadze threw 57.04 in Tbilisi, bettering the then standing world record of 53.61 held by Nina Romashkova by more than three meters.

Internationally, Dumbadze was the 1946 and 1950 European Champion and also won gold at the 1949 World Student Games. Dumbadze competed at the 1952 Olympics, where she was the clear favorite for the gold medal, but won only bronze behind compatriots Romashkova and Yelizaveta Bagryantseva to complete the first ever medal sweep by a nation in women's track & field athletics. Dumbadze won eight Soviet titles (1939, 1943-44, 1946-50). After finishing her sports career, Dumbadze worked as an athletics coach alongside her husband, who was head coach of the Georgian SSR national athletics team for nearly 50 years. Their son Iuri Diachk'ovi was also a track & field athlete, who competed in the decathlon at the 1960 Olympics.

Personal Best: DT – 57.04 (1952).