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The women’s discus throw has one of the most layered early histories among the throwing events, because its pre-federation development was split between different implement weights and parallel national traditions. Before the event settled into the standard 1kg discipline, recorded marks existed both with the lighter 1.25kg implement, especially in the United States, and with the heavier 1.5kg discus used in parts of continental Europe. As a result, the earliest progression is not a single uninterrupted record line, but a composite picture of an event still moving toward technical and regulatory standardisation.

That fragmented beginning makes the 1920s particularly important. Once the FSFI era began, the women’s discus quickly became one of the flagship field events of international women’s athletics, and the progression accelerated through a series of record exchanges across France, Poland, Czechoslovakia and Germany. Figures such as Violette Gouraud–Morris, Lucie Petit–Daigré and above all Halina Konopacka helped transform the event from a loosely documented pre-federation discipline into a major championship contest with a recognisable world-record structure.

The discus would go on to become one of the defining women’s power events of the interwar and post-war periods, later dominated for long stretches by Eastern European throwers. But its historical character remains distinctive: unlike the shot put, whose early record trail is tied closely to “both hands” competitions, the discus had first to pass through a phase of implement inconsistency before a standard global progression could fully take shape.

Discus Throw, women World Record Progression – Data Table

Performance	Athlete	Country	Date	Location	Competition	Notes
76.80	Gabriele Reinsch	GDR	9/7/1988	Neubrandenburg	International Match GDR - ITA
74.56	Zdeňka Šilhavá	TCH	26/8/1984	Nitra	International Meeting
73.36	Irina Meszynski	GDR	17/8/1984	Praha	VSSR Spartakiade
73.26	Galina Savinkova	URS	22/5/1983	Leselidze	National Meeting
71.80	Mariya Petkova	BUL	13/7/1980	Sofia	National Team Championships
71.50	Evelin Jahl	GDR	10/5/1980	Potsdam	Olympic Qualification
70.72	Evelin Jahl	GDR	12/8/1978	Dresden	EC Test
70.50	Faina Melnik	URS	24/4/1976	Sochi	Sznamenskiy Memorial
70.20	Faina Melnik	URS	20/8/1975	Zürich	Weltklasse
69.90	Faina Melnik	URS	27/5/1974	Praha	City Match Praha - Moskva
69.48	Faina Melnik	URS	7/9/1973	Edinburgh	European Cup Final
67.58	Faina Melnik	URS	10/7/1973	Moskva	Soviet Championships
67.44	Faina Melnik	URS	25/5/1973	Riga	International Meeting
67.32	Argentina Menis	ROU	23/9/1972	Constanța	Interntional Match ROM-SWE
66.76	Faina Melnik	URS	4/8/1972	Moskva	Olympic Test
65.48	Faina Melnik	URS	24/6/1972	Augsburg	International Maatch GER-RUS
65.42	Faina Melnik	URS	31/5/1972	Moskva	National Meeting
64.88	Faina Melnik	URS	4/9/1971	München	Hans Braun Memorial
64.22	Faina Melnik	URS	12/8/1971	Helsinki	European Championships
63.96	Liesel Westermann	FRG	27/9/1969	Hamburg	International Match FRG-GBR
62.70	Liesel Westermann	FRG	18/6/1969	Berlin (Ost)	Olympic Day, qualificatin for Europe-America dual meetng
62.54	Liesel Westermann	FRG	24/7/1968	Werdohl	International Meeting
61.64	Christine Spielberg	GDR	26/5/1968	Regis-Breitingen	National Meeting
61.26	Liesel Westermann	FRG	5/11/1967	São Paulo	International Meeting
59.70	Tamara Press	URS	11/8/1965	Moskva	National Meeting
59.29	Tamara Press	URS	18/5/1963	Moskva	National Meeting
58.98	Tamara Press	URS	20/9/1961	London	International Match ENG - RSFSR
58.06	Tamara Press	URS	1/9/1961	Sofia	Universiade
57.43	Tamara Press	URS	15/7/1961	Moskva	International Match URS-USA
57.15	Tamara Press	URS	12/9/1960	Roma	Post Olympic International Meeting
57.04	Nina Dumbadze	URS	18/10/1952	Tbilisi	National Meeting
53.61	Nina Romashkova-Ponomaryova	URS	9/8/1952	Odessa	National Meeting
53.37	Nina Dumbadze	URS	27/5/1951	Gori	National Meeting
53.25	Nina Dumbadze	URS	8/8/1948	Moskva	National Meeting
48.31	Gisela Mauermayer	GER	11/7/1936	Berlin	German Championships	First record ratified by the IAAF
47.12	Gisela Mauermayer	GER	25/8/1935	Dresden	International Match GER-POL
46.10	Gisela Mauermayer	GER	29/6/1935	Jena	German Students Championships
45.53	Gisela Mauermayer	GER	23/6/1935	München	Area Championship
44.76	Gisela Mauermayer	GER	4/6/1935	Nürnberg	Hote Evening Meeting
44.34	Gisela Mauermayer	GER	2/6/1935	Ulm	Olympic Test
43.795	Jadwiga Wajs-Marcinkiewicz	POL	11/8/1934	London	4th Women's World Games
43.08	Jadwiga Wajs-Marcinkiewicz	POL	15/7/1933	Huta Królewska	Polish Women's Championships
40.84	Grete Heublein	GER	19/6/1932	Hagen	Western Germany Championships
42.43	Jadwiga Wajs-Marcinkiewicz	POL	19/6/1932	Łódź	Polish Championships
40.39	Jadwiga Wajs-Marcinkiewicz	POL	16/5/1932	Łódź	Match between Poznzn and Łódź City
40.345	Jadwiga Wajs-Marcinkiewicz	POL	15/5/1932	Pabianice	Championships of Lotz Province
39.62	Halina Konopacka	POL	31/7/1928	Amsterdam	The IX Olympic Games
39.18	Halina Konopacka	POL	4/9/1927	Warszawa	International Meeting, within women's pentathlon
38.34	Emilie (Milly) Reuter	GER	22/8/1926	Braunschweig	German Championships
34.15	Halina Konopacka	POL	23/5/1926	Warszawa	National Meeting
31.15	Mária Vidláková	TCH	11/10/1925	Praha	Women's Match Praha - Brno
30.225	Lucienne Velu	FRA	14/9/1924	Paris	Grand Prix FFSF
28.325	Lucie Petit-Daigre	BEL/FRA	21/7/1924	Bruxelles	International Meeting
27.70	Lucie Petit	FRA	14/7/1924	Paris	French Championships
27.39	Yvonne Tembouret	FRA	23/9/1923	Paris	International Match FRA-GBR

See also: [Women’s Shot Put WR Progression][Men’s Discus Throw WR Progression]