| | 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	Number	Competitor	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)	–	–
DNS	478	Berta Díaz	CUB	– (DNS h5)	–	–
DNS	496	Manolita Cinco	PHI	– (DNS h6)	–	–
DNS	497	Francisca Sañopal	PHI	– (DNS h5)	–	–

Round One

Date	24 November 1956 — 14:45
Format	Top two in each heat advanced to the semi-finals.

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Time (automatic)	Time (hand)
1	468	Betty Cuthbert	AUS	11.72	11.4	QOR
2	470	Marlene Mathews	AUS	11.81	11.5	QOR
3	487	Heather Armitage	GBR	11.81w	11.5w	Q
4	482	Gisela Köhler	GER	11.85w	11.7w	Q
=5	469	Shirley Strickland de la Hunty	AUS	11.86w	11.7w
=5	508	Galina Popova	URS	11.86w	11.6w	Q
7	484	Christa Stubnick	GER	11.89	11.7	Q
8	503	Isabelle Daniels	USA	11.91	11.6	Q
9	485	Anne Pashley	GBR	11.94	11.7
10	472	Eleanor Haslam	CAN	11.98w	11.8w
11	491	Giuseppina Leone	ITA	12.00	11.8	Q
12	507	Vera Krepkina	URS	12.08	11.9	Q
13	479	Catherine Capdevielle	FRA	12.10w	11.7w	Q
14	506	Galina Rezchikova	URS	12.11	11.8	Q
15	505	Lucinda Williams	USA	12.14	12.0
16	486	June Paul	GBR	12.15	11.9	Q
17	481	Inge Fuhrmann	GER	12.31w	12.2w
18	499	Maria Kusion	POL	12.34	12.2
=19	504	Mae Faggs	USA	12.36	12.2
=19	474	Maureen Rever	CAN	12.36	12.2
21	500	Barbara Lerczak	POL	12.37	12.2
22	498	Halina Richter	POL	12.38w	12.2w
23	494	Margaret Stuart	NZL	12.38	12.3
24	492	Maria Musso	ITA	12.40	12.2
25	489	Maeve Kyle	IRL	12.48w	12.3w
=26	480	Micheline Fluchot	FRA	12.55	12.4
=26	490	Franca Peggion	ITA	12.55	12.4
28	502	Mary Klass	SGP	12.57	12.6
=29	473	Diane Matheson	CAN	12.59	12.4
=29	531	Elaine Winter	RSA	12.59	12.5
31	493	Annie Choong	MAL	12.73w	12.5w
32	471	Claudette Masdammer	GUY	12.87	12.7
33	501	Janet Jesudason	SGP	13.41	13.2
DNF	488	Mary Rao	IND	–	–
DNS	478	Berta Díaz	CUB	–	–
DNS	497	Francisca Sañopal	PHI	–	–
DNS	496	Manolita Cinco	PHI	–	–

Heat #1

Wind	1.3 m/s

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time (Hand)	Time (Automatic)
1	491	Giuseppina Leone	ITA	11.8	12.00	Q
2	507	Vera Krepkina	URS	11.9	12.08	Q
3	504	Mae Faggs	USA	12.2	12.36
4	480	Micheline Fluchot	FRA	12.4	12.55
5	501	Janet Jesudason	SGP	13.2	13.41
DNF	488	Mary Rao	IND	–	–

Heat #2

Wind	0.6 m/s

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time (Hand)	Time (Automatic)
1	470	Marlene Mathews	AUS	11.5	11.81	QOR
2	506	Galina Rezchikova	URS	11.8	12.11	Q
3	505	Lucinda Williams	USA	12.0	12.14
4	499	Maria Kusion	POL	12.2	12.34
5	474	Maureen Rever	CAN	12.2	12.36
6	490	Franca Peggion	ITA	12.4	12.55
7	502	Mary Klass	SGP	12.6	12.57

Heat #3

Wind	-1.2 m/s

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time (Hand)	Time (Automatic)
1	468	Betty Cuthbert	AUS	11.4	11.72	QOR
2	503	Isabelle Daniels	USA	11.6	11.91	Q
3	485	Anne Pashley	GBR	11.7	11.94
4	500	Barbara Lerczak	POL	12.2	12.37
5	492	Maria Musso	ITA	12.2	12.40
6	473	Diane Matheson	CAN	12.4	12.59

Heat #4

Wind	2.4 m/s

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time (Hand)	Time (Automatic)
1	487	Heather Armitage	GBR	11.5w	11.81w	Q
2	482	Gisela Köhler	GER	11.7w	11.85w	Q
3	469	Shirley Strickland de la Hunty	AUS	11.7w	11.86w
4	472	Eleanor Haslam	CAN	11.8w	11.98w
5	498	Halina Richter	POL	12.2w	12.38w
6	489	Maeve Kyle	IRL	12.3w	12.48w

Heat #5

Wind	3.5 m/s

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time (Hand)	Time (Automatic)
1	508	Galina Popova	URS	11.6w	11.86w	Q
2	479	Catherine Capdevielle	FRA	11.7w	12.10w	Q
3	481	Inge Fuhrmann	GER	12.2w	12.31w
4	493	Annie Choong	MAL	12.5w	12.73w
DNS	478	Berta Díaz	CUB	–	–
DNS	497	Francisca Sañopal	PHI	–	–

Heat #6

Wind	-4.0 m/s

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time (Hand)	Time (Automatic)
1	484	Christa Stubnick	GER	11.7	11.89	Q
2	486	June Paul	GBR	11.9	12.15	Q
3	494	Margaret Stuart	NZL	12.3	12.38
4	531	Elaine Winter	RSA	12.5	12.59
5	471	Claudette Masdammer	GUY	12.7	12.87
DNS	496	Manolita Cinco	PHI	–	–

Semi-Finals

Date	24 November 1956 — 16:40
Format	Top three in each heat advanced to the final.

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Time (automatic)	Time (hand)
1	470	Marlene Mathews	AUS	11.80	11.6	Q
2	487	Heather Armitage	GBR	11.87	11.6	Q
3	503	Isabelle Daniels	USA	11.94	11.7	Q
4	484	Christa Stubnick	GER	12.05	11.9	Q
5	482	Gisela Köhler	GER	12.07	11.9
6	507	Vera Krepkina	URS	12.07	11.9
7	468	Betty Cuthbert	AUS	12.08	12.0	Q
8	491	Giuseppina Leone	ITA	12.22	12.1	Q
9	506	Galina Rezchikova	URS	12.23	12.1
10	486	June Paul	GBR	12.24	12.1
11	508	Galina Popova	URS	12.34	12.2
12	479	Catherine Capdevielle	FRA	12.53	12.4

Heat #1

Wind	-4.0 m/s

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Time (Hand)	Time (Automatic)
1	484	Christa Stubnick	GER	11.9	12.05	Q
2	468	Betty Cuthbert	AUS	12.0	12.08	Q
3	491	Giuseppina Leone	ITA	12.1	12.22	Q
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 #2

Wind	0.0 m/s

Pos	Number	Competitor	NOC	Time (Hand)	Time (Automatic)
1	470	Marlene Mathews	AUS	11.6	11.80	Q
2	487	Heather Armitage	GBR	11.6	11.87	Q
3	503	Isabelle Daniels	USA	11.7	11.94	Q
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 Round

Date	26 November 1956 — 17:20
Wind	-2.3 m/s

Pos	Lane	Competitor	NOC	Time (Hand)	Time (Automatic)
1	468	Betty Cuthbert	AUS	11.5	11.82
2	484	Christa Stubnick	GER	11.7	11.92
3	470	Marlene Mathews	AUS	11.7	11.94
4	503	Isabelle Daniels	USA	11.8	11.98
5	491	Giuseppina Leone	ITA	11.9	12.07
6	487	Heather Armitage	GBR	12.0	12.10