| | Event type
100 metres, Women
| Date | 24 – 26 November 1956 |
|---|---|
| Status | Olympic |
| Location | Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Victoria |
| Participants | 34 from 16 countries |
Marjorie Jackson was the defending champion and had been Commonwealth Games 100 champion in both 1950 and 1954. But she retired after the 1954 Commonwealth title, and chose not to defend in her native Australia. Shortly before the Melbourne Olympics, Australia found another great sprinter in Betty Cuthbert who broke the 220 yard world record with 23.2. She was favored at the Olympics and became the “Golden Girl,” named for her blonde hair and the three gold medals she won in the 100, 200, and 4x100 relay. The 100 was a comfortable win for her in 11.5, after setting an Olympic record of 11.4 in the first round.
| Pos | Nr | Athlete | NOC | R1 | SF | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 468 | Betty Cuthbert |  AUS | 11.4 (1 h3) | 12.0 (2 h1) | 11.5 (1) | Gold | ||
| 2 | 484 | Christa Stubnick |  GER | 11.7 (1 h6) | 11.9 (1 h1) | 11.7 (2) | Silver | ||
| 3 | 470 | Marlene Mathews | AUS | 11.5 (1 h2) | 11.6 (1 h2) | 11.7 (3) | Bronze | ||
| 4 | 503 | Isabelle Daniels |  USA | 11.6 (2 h3) | 11.7 (3 h2) | 11.8 (4) | |||
| 5 | 491 | Giuseppina Leone |  ITA | 11.8 (1 h1) | 12.1 (3 h1) | 11.9 (5) | |||
| 6 | 487 | Heather Armitage |  GBR | 11.5w (1 h4) | 11.6 (2 h2) | 12.0 (6) | |||
| 4 h1 r2/3 | 486 | June Paul | GBR | 11.9 (2 h6) | 12.1 (4 h1) | – | |||
| 4 h2 r2/3 | 482 | Gisela Köhler | GER | 11.7w (2 h4) | 11.9 (4 h2) | – | |||
| 5 h1 r2/3 | 508 | Galina Popova |  URS | 11.6w (1 h5) | 12.2 (5 h1) | – | |||
| 5 h2 r2/3 | 507 | Vera Krepkina | URS | 11.9 (2 h1) | 11.9 (5 h2) | – | |||
| 6 h1 r2/3 | 479 | Catherine Capdevielle |  FRA | 11.7w (2 h5) | 12.4 (6 h1) | – | |||
| 6 h2 r2/3 | 506 | Galina Rezchikova | URS | 11.8 (2 h2) | 12.1 (6 h2) | – | |||
| 3 h1 r1/3 | 504 | Mae Faggs | USA | 12.2 (3 h1) | – | – | |||
| 3 h2 r1/3 | 505 | Lucinda Williams | USA | 12.0 (3 h2) | – | – | |||
| 3 h3 r1/3 | 485 | Anne Pashley | GBR | 11.7 (3 h3) | – | – | |||
| 3 h4 r1/3 | 469 | Shirley Strickland de la Hunty | AUS | 11.7w (3 h4) | – | – | |||
| 3 h5 r1/3 | 481 | Inge Fuhrmann | GER | 12.2w (3 h5) | – | – | |||
| 3 h6 r1/3 | 494 | Margaret Stuart |  NZL | 12.3 (3 h6) | – | – | |||
| 4 h1 r1/3 | 480 | Micheline Fluchot | FRA | 12.4 (4 h1) | – | – | |||
| 4 h2 r1/3 | 499 | Maria Kusion |  POL | 12.2 (4 h2) | – | – | |||
| 4 h3 r1/3 | 500 | Barbara Lerczak | POL | 12.2 (4 h3) | – | – | |||
| 4 h4 r1/3 | 472 | Eleanor Haslam |  CAN | 11.8w (4 h4) | – | – | |||
| 4 h5 r1/3 | 493 | Annie Choong |  MAL | 12.5w (4 h5) | – | – | |||
| 4 h6 r1/3 | 531 | Elaine Winter |  RSA | 12.5 (4 h6) | – | – | |||
| 5 h1 r1/3 | 501 | Janet Jesudason |  SGP | 13.2 (5 h1) | – | – | |||
| 5 h2 r1/3 | 474 | Maureen Rever | CAN | 12.2 (5 h2) | – | – | |||
| 5 h3 r1/3 | 492 | Maria Musso | ITA | 12.2 (5 h3) | – | – | |||
| 5 h4 r1/3 | 498 | Halina Richter | POL | 12.2w (5 h4) | – | – | |||
| 5 h6 r1/3 | 471 | Claudette Masdammer |  GUY | 12.7 (5 h6) | – | – | |||
| 6 h2 r1/3 | 490 | Franca Peggion | ITA | 12.4 (6 h2) | – | – | |||
| 6 h3 r1/3 | 473 | Diane Matheson | CAN | 12.4 (6 h3) | – | – | |||
| 6 h4 r1/3 | 489 | Maeve Kyle |  IRL | 12.3w (6 h4) | – | – | |||
| 7 h2 r1/3 | 502 | Mary Klass | SGP | 12.6 (7 h2) | – | – | |||
| AC h1 r1/3 | 488 | Mary Rao |  IND | – (DNF h1) | – | – | |||
| 478 | Berta Díaz |  CUB | – (DNS h5) | – | – | ||||
| 496 | Manolita Cinco |  PHI | – (DNS h6) | – | – | ||||
| 497 | Francisca Sañopal | PHI | – (DNS h5) | – | – |
Round One (24 November 1956 — 14:45)
Top two in each heat advanced to the semi-finals.
Heat One
| Wind | 1.3 m/s |
|---|
| Pos | Lane | Athlete | NOC | Time (H) | Time (A) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Giuseppina Leone | ITA | 11.8 | 12.00 | |||
| 2 | 3 | Vera Krepkina | URS | 11.9 | 12.08 | |||
| 3 | 6 | Mae Faggs | USA | 12.2 | 12.36 | |||
| 4 | 1 | Micheline Fluchot | FRA | 12.4 | 12.55 | |||
| 5 | 2 | Janet Jesudason | SGP | 13.2 | 13.41 | |||
| 5 | Mary Rao | IND | – | – |
Heat Two
| Wind | 0.6 m/s |
|---|
| Pos | Lane | Athlete | NOC | Time (H) | Time (A) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Marlene Mathews | AUS | 11.5 | 11.81 | |||
| 2 | 3 | Galina Rezchikova | URS | 11.8 | 12.11 | |||
| 3 | 7 | Lucinda Williams | USA | 12.0 | 12.14 | |||
| 4 | 5 | Maria Kusion | POL | 12.2 | 12.34 | |||
| 5 | 1 | Maureen Rever | CAN | 12.2 | 12.36 | |||
| 6 | 2 | Franca Peggion | ITA | 12.4 | 12.55 | |||
| 7 | 4 | Mary Klass | SGP | 12.6 | 12.57 |
Heat Three
| Wind | -1.2 m/s |
|---|
| Pos | Lane | Athlete | NOC | Time (H) | Time (A) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Betty Cuthbert | AUS | 11.4 | 11.72 | |||
| 2 | 2 | Isabelle Daniels | USA | 11.6 | 11.91 | |||
| 3 | 1 | Anne Pashley | GBR | 11.7 | 11.94 | |||
| 4 | 5 | Barbara Lerczak | POL | 12.2 | 12.37 | |||
| 5 | 4 | Maria Musso | ITA | 12.2 | 12.40 | |||
| 6 | 3 | Diane Matheson | CAN | 12.4 | 12.59 |
Heat Four
| Wind | 2.4 m/s |
|---|
| Pos | Lane | Athlete | NOC | Time (H) | Time (A) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Heather Armitage | GBR | 11.5w | 11.81w | |||
| 2 | 3 | Gisela Köhler | GER | 11.7w | 11.85w | |||
| 3 | 5 | Shirley Strickland de la Hunty | AUS | 11.7w | 11.86w | |||
| 4 | 1 | Eleanor Haslam | CAN | 11.8w | 11.98w | |||
| 5 | 4 | Halina Richter | POL | 12.2w | 12.38w | |||
| 6 | 2 | Maeve Kyle | IRL | 12.3w | 12.48w |
Heat Five
| Wind | 3.5 m/s |
|---|
| Pos | Lane | Athlete | NOC | Time (H) | Time (A) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Galina Popova | URS | 11.6w | 11.86w | |||
| 2 | 4 | Catherine Capdevielle | FRA | 11.7w | 12.10w | |||
| 3 | 2 | Inge Fuhrmann | GER | 12.2w | 12.31w | |||
| 4 | 6 | Annie Choong | MAL | 12.5w | 12.73w | |||
| 3 | Berta Díaz | CUB | – | – | ||||
| 5 | Francisca Sañopal | PHI | – | – |
Heat Six
| Wind | -4.0 m/s |
|---|
| Pos | Lane | Athlete | NOC | Time (H) | Time (A) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Christa Stubnick | GER | 11.7 | 11.89 | |||
| 2 | 3 | June Paul | GBR | 11.9 | 12.15 | |||
| 3 | 5 | Margaret Stuart | NZL | 12.3 | 12.38 | |||
| 4 | 6 | Elaine Winter | RSA | 12.5 | 12.59 | |||
| 5 | 2 | Claudette Masdammer | GUY | 12.7 | 12.87 | |||
| 1 | Manolita Cinco | PHI | – | – |
Semi-Finals (24 November 1956 — 16:40)
Top three in each heat advanced to the final.
Heat One
| Wind | -4.0 m/s |
|---|
| Pos | Nr | Athlete | NOC | Time (H) | Time (A) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 484 | Christa Stubnick | GER | 11.9 | 12.05 | |||
| 2 | 468 | Betty Cuthbert | AUS | 12.0 | 12.08 | |||
| 3 | 491 | Giuseppina Leone | ITA | 12.1 | 12.22 | |||
| 4 | 486 | June Paul | GBR | 12.1 | 12.24 | |||
| 5 | 508 | Galina Popova | URS | 12.2 | 12.34 | |||
| 6 | 479 | Catherine Capdevielle | FRA | 12.4 | 12.53 |
Heat Two
| Wind | 0.0 m/s |
|---|
| Pos | Nr | Athlete | NOC | Time (H) | Time (A) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 470 | Marlene Mathews | AUS | 11.6 | 11.80 | |||
| 2 | 487 | Heather Armitage | GBR | 11.6 | 11.87 | |||
| 3 | 503 | Isabelle Daniels | USA | 11.7 | 11.94 | |||
| 4 | 482 | Gisela Köhler | GER | 11.9 | 12.07 | |||
| 5 | 507 | Vera Krepkina | URS | 11.9 | 12.07 | |||
| 6 | 506 | Galina Rezchikova | URS | 12.1 | 12.23 |
Final (26 November 1956 — 17:20)
| Wind | -2.3 m/s |
|---|
| Pos | Lane | Athlete | NOC | Time (H) | Time (A) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Betty Cuthbert | AUS | 11.5 | 11.82 | |||
| 2 | 1 | Christa Stubnick | GER | 11.7 | 11.92 | |||
| 3 | 3 | Marlene Mathews | AUS | 11.7 | 11.94 | |||
| 4 | 6 | Isabelle Daniels | USA | 11.8 | 11.98 | |||
| 5 | 5 | Giuseppina Leone | ITA | 11.9 | 12.07 | |||
| 6 | 2 | Heather Armitage | GBR | 12.0 | 12.10 |