Urszula Figwer

Urszula Figwer began her athletic career as a volleyball player and was a member of the Polish national team from 1949 through 1952. During that time, she won a bronze medal at the 1949 European Championships and silver at the Worlds in 1952. She then switched to track and field athletics and won her first medal at the national championships, silver in the shot put, in 1953. She took bronze both indoors and outdoors in 1954, and then won an indoor title the following year, along with an outdoor bronze. Her only other indoor medal in this event was silver in 1956, but she took bronze in the outdoor from 1958 through 1960.

Figwer was even more successful in the javelin throw, winning her first national title in 1955. She was the bronze medalist for the next two years and also represented Poland at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, where she was sixth. After taking silver nationally in 1958, she won the title again in 1959 and 1960, the latter of which sent her to the Rome Olympics, where she was fifth. She never again captured a national title, but took silver in 1965 and 1966, and bronze in 1963 and 1964. She was also a silver medalist at the 1959 Summer Universiade, behind Elvīra Ozoliņa of the Soviet Union. She later worked as a physical education scientist and teacher, in addition to coaching.

Personal Best: JT – 57.77 (1960).