Born: 1915 (Penza, Russian SSR)
Biography:
Anna Semyonovna Andreyeva (Russian: ) was a Soviet track and field athlete who competed mainly in the shot put. Born on June 23, 1915, in Penza, Russian SSR, Andreyeva was among the first Soviet women to achieve world-class status in the shot put event.
Andreyeva’s athletic career started in the 1930s when she ranked in the top ten globally in 1936 and 1937. She quickly rose in prominence, winning her first national title at the Soviet Athletics Championships in 1938. The following year, she achieved a personal best of 13.16 meters (43 ft 2 in), making her one of the top five shot putters in the world. Andreyeva continued to excel, securing a second-place finish at the Soviet Athletics Championships in both 1939 and 1940, with a new highest ranking of 13.02 meters (42 ft 8 1/2 in) in the latter year.
Andreyeva’s shot put career reached new heights during the 1940s. From 1942 to 1953, she consistently placed within the top five athletes globally, showcasing her exceptional skills and dedication to the sport. At the age of 33, Andreyeva achieved a career breakthrough by throwing her first distance over 14 meters, clinching her second Soviet title in 1948 with a mark of 14.44 meters (47 ft 4 1/2 in). Her mark surpassed the winning throw at the 1948 Olympics and placed her as the second-best shot putter in the world behind her compatriot Tatyana Sevryukova, who had broken the women’s shot put world record that year.
In 1949, Andreyeva further improved her performance, winning her third Soviet title with a mark of 14.51 meters (47 ft 7 1/4 in). However, she again ranked second globally, this time behind another world record breaker from the Soviet Union, Klavdia Tochonova.
The 1950 season proved to be the pinnacle of Andreyeva’s career. At the age of 35, she secured her fourth and final national title in the shot put. This season also saw her claim her first and only major international gold medal at the 1950 European Athletics Championships. Andreyeva emerged victorious, surpassing Tochonova with a championship-record mark of 14.32 meters (46 ft 11 3/4 in).
Andreyeva’s most significant achievement came later that year. In November 1950, she broke the shot put world record with a monumental throw of 15.02 meters (49 ft 3 1/4 in) in Ploiești, Romania. This achievement marked the first time a woman had thrown beyond the fourteen-meter mark. Andreyeva’s record stood until July 1952 when Galina Zybina brought it close to seventeen meters.
Throughout her career, Andreyeva played a crucial role in establishing a dominance of Soviet women in the shot put event. Her success paved the way for future generations of Soviet athletes, including Tamara Press in the 1960s, Nadezhda Chizhova in the 1970s, and Natalya Lisovskaya in the 1980s, who would go on to retain the shot put world record.
Awards:
– Gold medal, 1950 European Athletics Championships in shot put
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