| | Event type

80 metres Hurdles, Women

Date	31 August – 1 September 1960
Status	Olympic
Location	Stadio Olimpico, Roma
Participants	28 from 17 countries

Since 1956 a series of athletes had equaled the 10.6 world record. These included Gisela Birkemeyer (thrice), runner-up in 1956, Norma Thrower, bronze medalist in 1956 and 1958 Commonwealth Games champion, Galina Bystrova, fourth in 1956, and by Irina Press in July 1960. Press was the world’s best pentathlete, but that event was not on the Olympic program until 1964, so she specialized in the hurdles. She was also a top international sprinter and shot putter. All the favorites got to the final except Thrower, who missed out in the semi-final. Press won the final comfortably, establishing a lead at the first hurdle, and holding it throughout. The surprise silver medalist was Carole Quinton (GBR), who closed very quickly to edge out Birkemeyer-Köhler. Quinton had won the 1958 AAA Championship but had no other major palmares.

Pos	Nr	Athlete	NOC	R1	SF	Final
1	160	Irina Press	URS	10.7 (1 h1)	10.6 (1 h2)	10.8 (1)	Gold
2	197	Carole Quinton	GBR	10.9 (2 h1)	11.0 (3 h2)	10.9 (2)	Silver
3	75	Gisela Birkemeyer	GER	11.2 (1 h4)	10.9 (2 h2)	11.0 (3)	Bronze
4	195	Mary Bignal	GBR	11.2 (1 h2)	11.0 (2 h1)	11.1 (4)
5	166	Galina Bystrova	URS	11.1 (2 h6)	11.0 (1 h1)	11.2 (5)
6	167	Rimma Koshelyova	URS	11.1 (1 h3)	11.1 (3 h1)	11.2 (6)
4 h1 r2/3	82	Karin Richert	GER	11.2 (1 h5)	11.1 (4 h1)	–
4 h2 r2/3	81	Zenta Kopp	GER	10.9 (1 h6)	11.0 (4 h2)	–
5 h1 r2/3	7	Norma Thrower	AUS	11.4 (2 h2)	11.3 (5 h1)	–
5 h2 r2/3	142	Teresa Wieczorek	POL	11.3 (2 h5)	11.2 (5 h2)	–
6 h1 r2/3	149	Barbara Sosgórnik	POL	11.4 (2 h4)	11.3 (6 h1)	–
6 h2 r2/3	137	Denise Guénard	FRA	11.2 (2 h3)	11.4 (6 h2)	–
3 h1 r1/3	99	Draga Stamejčič	YUG	11.3 (3 h1)	–	–
3 h2 r1/3	43	Snezhana Kerkova	BUL	11.6 (3 h2)	–	–
3 h3 r1/3	35	Alena Stolzová	TCH	11.4 (3 h3)	–	–
3 h4 r1/3	196	Patricia Anne Pryce	GBR	11.5 (3 h4)	–	–
3 h5 r1/3	136	Simone Brièrre	FRA	11.6 (3 h5)	–	–
3 h6 r1/3	183	Letizia Bertoni	ITA	11.4 (3 h6)	–	–
4 h1 r1/3	103	Ulla-Britt Wieslander	SWE	11.5 (4 h1)	–	–
4 h2 r1/3	15	Wanda dos Santos	BRA	11.7 (4 h2)	–	–
4 h3 r1/3	121	Jo Ann Terry	USA	11.4 (4 h3)	–	–
4 h4 r1/3	31	Sally McCallum	CAN	11.7 (4 h4)	–	–
4 h5 r1/3	8	Gloria Cooke-Wigney	AUS	11.7 (4 h5)	–	–
4 h6 r1/3	123	Shirley Crowder	USA	12.3 (4 h6)	–	–
5 h1 r1/3	122	Irene Robertson	USA	11.6 (5 h1)	–	–
5 h2 r1/3	32	Berta Díaz	CUB	11.7 (5 h2)	–	–
5 h4 r1/3	23	Friedl Murauer	AUT	11.9 (5 h4)	–	–
5 h6 r1/3	12	Chi Cheng	TPE	12.6 (5 h6)	–	–
DNS	211	Mária Bácskai	HUN	– (DNS h3)	–	–

Round One (31 August 1960 — 10:25)

Top two in each heat advanced to the semi-finals.

Heat One

Wind	0.4 m/s

Pos	Lane	Athlete	NOC	Time (H)	Time (A)
1	1	Irina Press	URS	10.7	10.91	Q=OR
2	2	Carole Quinton	GBR	10.9	11.07	Q
3	3	Draga Stamejčič	YUG	11.3	11.47
4	5	Ulla-Britt Wieslander	SWE	11.5	11.60
5	4	Irene Robertson	USA	11.6	11.69

Heat Two

Wind	-0.5 m/s

Pos	Lane	Athlete	NOC	Time (H)	Time (A)
1	3	Mary Bignal	GBR	11.2	11.40	Q
2	4	Norma Thrower	AUS	11.4	11.54	Q
3	5	Snezhana Kerkova	BUL	11.6	11.73
4	1	Wanda dos Santos	BRA	11.7	11.84		1
5	2	Berta Díaz	CUB	11.7	11.83		2

Heat Three

Wind	-0.4 m/s

Pos	Lane	Athlete	NOC	Time (H)	Time (A)
1	3	Rimma Koshelyova	URS	11.1	11.26	Q
2	2	Denise Guénard	FRA	11.2	11.37	Q
3	5	Alena Stolzová	TCH	11.4	11.59		3
4	4	Jo Ann Terry	USA	11.4	11.58		4
DNS	1	Mária Bácskai	HUN	–	–

Heat Four

Wind	-0.5 m/s

Pos	Lane	Athlete	NOC	Time (H)	Time (A)
1	2	Gisela Birkemeyer	GER	11.2	11.31	Q
2	3	Barbara Sosgórnik	POL	11.4	11.56	Q
3	5	Patricia Anne Pryce	GBR	11.5	11.65
4	4	Sally McCallum	CAN	11.7	11.90
5	1	Friedl Murauer	AUT	11.9	12.08

Heat Five

Wind	-0.5 m/s

Pos	Lane	Athlete	NOC	Time (H)	Time (A)
1	3	Karin Richert	GER	11.2	11.40	Q
2	2	Teresa Wieczorek	POL	11.3	11.46	Q
3	1	Simone Brièrre	FRA	11.6	11.75
4	4	Gloria Cooke-Wigney	AUS	11.7	11.89

Heat Six

Wind	-0.4 m/s

Pos	Lane	Athlete	NOC	Time (H)	Time (A)
1	1	Zenta Kopp	GER	10.9	11.10	Q
2	2	Galina Bystrova	URS	11.1	11.26	Q
3	4	Letizia Bertoni	ITA	11.4	11.54
4	3	Shirley Crowder	USA	12.3	12.43
5	5	Chi Cheng	TPE	12.6	12.71

Semi-Finals (31 August 1960 — 17:10)

Top three in each heat advanced to the final.

Heat One

Wind	-0.9 m/s

Pos	Nr	Athlete	NOC	Time (H)	Time (A)
1	166	Galina Bystrova	URS	11.0	11.16	Q
2	195	Mary Bignal	GBR	11.0	11.16	Q
3	167	Rimma Koshelyova	URS	11.1	11.22	Q
4	82	Karin Richert	GER	11.1	11.27
5	7	Norma Thrower	AUS	11.3	11.46		5
6	149	Barbara Sosgórnik	POL	11.3	11.44		6

Heat Two

Wind	0.0 m/s

Pos	Nr	Athlete	NOC	Time (H)	Time (A)
1	160	Irina Press	URS	10.6	10.77	QOR
2	75	Gisela Birkemeyer	GER	10.9	11.01	Q
3	197	Carole Quinton	GBR	11.0	11.07	Q
4	81	Zenta Kopp	GER	11.0	11.09
5	142	Teresa Wieczorek	POL	11.2	11.40
6	137	Denise Guénard	FRA	11.4	11.51

Final (1 September 1960 — 17:10)

Wind	0.0 m/s

Pos	Lane	Athlete	NOC	Time (H)	Time (A)
1	3	Irina Press	URS	10.8	10.93
2	6	Carole Quinton	GBR	10.9	10.99
3	4	Gisela Birkemeyer	GER	11.0	11.13
4	5	Mary Bignal	GBR	11.1	11.22
5	2	Galina Bystrova	URS	11.2	11.26
6	1	Rimma Koshelyova	URS	11.2	11.28