Venissa Head

Inducted 2010

Field

Britain's leading throws athlete of her era. Set 23 Welsh shot records and 16 discus records, winning 25 titles between 1974 and 1988. Her indoor shot record of 19.06m (1984) stood unbroken for 29 years.

Biography

Venissa Head was born in Merthyr Tydfil and became Britain’s premier throws athlete over a sustained period. She holds the extraordinary record of 25 Welsh titles in shot and discus combined between 1974 and 1988, with 15 shot titles being the most wins in any single Welsh event.

Her Welsh shot record of 19.06m, set indoors in 1984, remained unbroken for 29 years. She set 23 shot records and 16 discus records throughout her career. Her lifetime bests — discus 64.68m and shot 19.06m — rank second among all British athletes.

Head competed at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and at the 1986 Edinburgh Commonwealth Games, where she won the discus silver medal with 56.20m.