Lillian Copeland

Lillian Copeland

Lillian Copeland in 1938
Personal information
Birth name	Lillian Drossin
Born	November 24, 1904 New York City, U.S.
Died	July 7, 1964 (aged 59) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Southern California (1930) University of Southern California Law School
Employer	Los Angeles Sheriff's Department
Height	1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Weight	59 kg (130 lb)
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	Discus throw, shot put, javelin throw
Club	Los Angeles Athletic Club, Los Angeles
Achievements and titles
National finals	AAU shot put champion (1924–28, 1931) AAU discus throw champion (1926 and 1927) AAU javelin throw champion (1926 and 1931)
Highest world ranking	world champion; multiple times
Personal best(s)	DT – 40.58 m (1932) SP – 9.38 m (1925) JT – 38.21 m (1927)[1][2]
Medal record Representing the  United States Olympic Games 1932 Los Angeles Discus throw 1928 Amsterdam Discus throw Maccabiah Games 1935 Mandatory Palestine Discus throw 1935 Mandatory Palestine Javelin throw 1935 Mandatory Palestine Shot put

Lillian Copeland (née Drossin; November 24, 1904 – July 7, 1964) was an American track and field Olympic champion athlete, who excelled in discus, javelin throwing, and shot put, setting multiple world records. She has been called "the most successful female discus thrower in U.S. history".^[3] She also held multiple titles in shot put and javelin throwing. She won a silver medal in discus at the 1928 Summer Olympics, a gold medal in discus at the 1932 Summer Olympics, and gold medals in discus, javelin, and shot put at the 1935 Maccabiah Games in Mandatory Palestine.

In 1928, The New York Times reported that Copeland was "considered by many the all around best woman athlete in the country."^[4] Until the 2008 Beijing Games 74 years after she became an Olympic champion, she was the only American woman to win the discus throw at a modern Olympics.^[5][6] She has been inducted into the USATF Hall of Fame, the Helms Athletic Hall of Fame, the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, and the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.