Inese Jaunzeme
Encyclopedia
Inese Jaunzeme was a Latvian athlete who competed mainly in the javelin throw
.
Born in Pļaviņas
, she trained with the Dynamo club in Riga
. Jaunzeme was third in the javelin at the USSR
Championships in 1956, earning herself a place on the Olympic team for the 1956 Summer Olympics
held in Melbourne
, Australia
. She set an Olympic record in the first round of the event and went on to improve her mark twice more, ending up with a winning throw of 53.86 metres. This made her the first Olympic gold medal
list to come from Latvia. She was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labour
in 1957 in recognition of her achievement.
She began training to be a doctor while still competing in the javelin and was the silver medal
list at the 1957 World University Games
, as well as winning at the championships organised by the International Union of Students
(UIE). She became a qualified doctor in 1960 and went on to perform in the fields of traumatology
and plastic surgery
. Jaunzeme was also a Candidate of Medical Science, having defended her dissertation in 1969.
Javelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...
.
Born in Pļaviņas
Plavinas
Pļaviņas is a town in Latvia. The town is located on the Daugava river.-See also:*List of cities in Latvia*Pļaviņas municipality...
, she trained with the Dynamo club in Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
. Jaunzeme was third in the javelin at the USSR
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
Championships in 1956, earning herself a place on the Olympic team for the 1956 Summer Olympics
1956 Summer Olympics
The 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations...
held in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. She set an Olympic record in the first round of the event and went on to improve her mark twice more, ending up with a winning throw of 53.86 metres. This made her the first Olympic gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
list to come from Latvia. She was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labour
Order of the Red Banner of Labour
The Order of the Red Banner of Labour was an order of the Soviet Union for accomplishments in labour and civil service. It is the labour counterpart of the military Order of the Red Banner. A few institutions and factories, being the pride of Soviet Union, also received the order.-History:The Red...
in 1957 in recognition of her achievement.
She began training to be a doctor while still competing in the javelin and was the silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
list at the 1957 World University Games
1957 World University Games
The 1957 World University Games were organised by the International University Sports Federation and held in Paris, France. At these games a number of Athletic events were contested.-Men’s events:-Women’s events:-Medal table:-References:...
, as well as winning at the championships organised by the International Union of Students
International Union of Students
The International Union of Students is a worldwide nonpartisan association of university student organizations.The IUS is the umbrella organization for 155 such student organizations across 112 countries and territories representing approximately 25 million students.-Aim and work areas:The aims of...
(UIE). She became a qualified doctor in 1960 and went on to perform in the fields of traumatology
Traumatology
Traumatology is the study of wounds and injuries caused by accidents or violence to a person, and the surgical therapy and repair of the damage. Traumatology is a branch of medicine. It is often considered a subset of surgery and in countries without the specialty of trauma surgery it is most...
and plastic surgery
Plastic surgery
Plastic surgery is a medical specialty concerned with the correction or restoration of form and function. Though cosmetic or aesthetic surgery is the best-known kind of plastic surgery, most plastic surgery is not cosmetic: plastic surgery includes many types of reconstructive surgery, hand...
. Jaunzeme was also a Candidate of Medical Science, having defended her dissertation in 1969.