View source for Meg Ritchie

{{Short description|Scottish discus thrower and shot putter}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name        = Meg Stone Ritchie
| image       =
| caption     =
| nationality = British (Scottish)
| sport       = [[Sport of Athletics|Athletics]]
| event       = discus throw
| club        = [[Edinburgh Southern Harriers]]
| birth_date  = 6 July 1952
| birth_place = Kirkcaldy, Scotland
| death_date  = 
| death_place = 
| height      =178 cm
| weight      =87 kg
| pb =
}}
'''Margaret "Meg" Elizabeth Stone Ritchie''' (born 6 July 1952) is a retired Scottish [[discus throw]]er and [[Shot put]]ter. She reached the Olympic finals at discus in [[Athletics at the 1980 Summer Olympics|Moscow 1980]] (9th) and [[Athletics at the 1984 Summer Olympics|Los Angeles 1984]] (5th). She also won the [[Athletics at the 1982 Commonwealth Games|1982 Commonwealth Games title]]. Her discus best of 67.48 metres has stood as the [[List of British records in athletics|British record]] since 1981, while her shot put best of 18.99 metres has stood as the [[List of Scottish records in athletics|Scottish record]] since 1983.

== Athletics career ==
Born in [[Kirkcaldy]], [[Fife]], Ritchie won the Scottish championships in discus seven times and in [[shot put]] she won three Scottish titles. She also won the UK Championships four times in the discus, and three AAA discus titles. Her personal best throw was {{T&Fcalc|67.48}}, achieved in April 1981 in [[Walnut, CA|Walnut]]. This is the current NCAA Women's Outdoor Track and Field and [[UK records in athletics|British record]].<ref name="alltime">[http://www.gbrathletics.com/uk/wf99.htm UK All-Time Lists: Women - Throws] - GBR Athletics</ref>

Ritchie finished second behind fellow Scot [[Rosemary Payne]] in the discus event at the [[1973 WAAA Championships]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002137/19730722/323/0042 |title=Athletic Results |work=Sunday Mirror |date=22 July 1973 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription |access-date=7 March 2025 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0004941/19730722/585/0032 |title=Crystal Palace Results  |work=Sunday Express |date=22 July 1973 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription |access-date=7 March 2025  }}</ref> Two years later she became the [[List of British champions in discus throw|British discus champion]] after winning the British [[WAAA Championships]] title at the [[1975 WAAA Championships]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nuts.org.uk/Champs/AAA/index.htm |title=AAA, WAAA and National Championships Medallists |website=National Union of Track Statisticians |access-date=7 March 2025}}</ref> and successfully regained the title at the [[1977 WAAA Championships]] and the [[1981 WAAA Championships]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gbrathletics.com/bc/waaa.htm |title=AAA Championships (women) |website=GBR Athletics |access-date=7 March 2025 }}</ref>

Representing the [[Arizona Wildcats track and field]] team, in 1982 she won the NCAA Division 1 Championships shot/discus double in America.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Meg Ritchie HOF |url=https://arizonawildcats.com/sports/2014/2/11/209403471.aspx |access-date=2024-05-17 |website=University of Arizona Athletics |language=en}}</ref> Later that same year she won the discus gold medal at the [[1982 Commonwealth Games]] in Brisbane.

In the shot put her personal best was {{T&Fcalc|18.99}}, achieved in May 1983 in [[Tucson, AZ|Tucson]]. This is the current Scottish national record

== Personal life ==
Ritchie is married to Dr. Michael H. Stone. She is the Director of East Tennessee State University Sports Performance Enhancement Consortium (SPEC), the Director of the Center of Excellence for Coach Education, and Assistant Coach for Men's and Women's Track and Field at ETSU (Throws). Under her tutelage, the male throwers from ETSU have proceeded to break the indoor shot, discus, hammer, 35&nbsp;lb weight, and outdoor shot school records. The women have set new records in the 20&nbsp;lb weight throw and the hammer throw.{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

==International competitions==
{| {{AchievementTable}}
|-
!colspan="5"|Representing {{GBR2}} / {{SCO}}
|-
|rowspan=3|1978
|[[1978 European Athletics Championships|European Championships]]
|[[Prague]], Czechoslovakia
|13th
|[[1978 European Athletics Championships – Women's discus throw|Discus throw]]
|
|-
|rowspan=2|[[Athletics at the 1978 Commonwealth Games|Commonwealth Games]]
|rowspan=2|[[Edmonton]], Canada
|8th
|Shot put
|
|-
| 4th
|Discus throw
|<ref>[http://www.sporting-heroes.net/athletics-heroes/stats_athletics/commonwealth/1978_w.asp 1978 Commonwealth Games, women's athletics results] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605023649/http://www.sporting-heroes.net/athletics-heroes/stats_athletics/commonwealth/1978_w.asp |date=5 June 2011 }} - Sporting Heroes</ref>
|-
|1979
|[[1979 European Cup (athletics)|European Cup]]
|[[Turin]], Italy
|5th
|Discus throw
|
|-
|1980
|[[Athletics at the 1980 Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]
|[[Moscow]], [[USSR]]
|9th
|Discus throw 
|<ref>[http://www.todor66.com/olim/1980/Athletics/Women_Discus_Throw.html Women Discus Throw Olympic Games Moscow 1980]</ref>
|-
|1982
|[[Athletics at the 1982 Commonwealth Games|Commonwealth Games]]
|[[Brisbane]], [[Australia]]
|bgcolor="gold" | 1st
|Discus throw 
|<ref>[http://www.sporting-heroes.net/athletics-heroes/stats_athletics/commonwealth/1982_w.asp 1982 Commonwealth Games, women's athletics results] - Sporting Heroes</ref>
|-
|rowspan=3|1983
|rowspan=2|[[1983 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]] 
|rowspan=2|[[Helsinki]], Finland
|8th
|[[1983 World Championships in Athletics - Women's Discus|Discus throw]]
|
|-
|16th
|[[1983 World Championships in Athletics – Women's shot put|Shot put]]
|
|-
|[[1983 European Cup (athletics)|European Cup]]
|[[London]], United Kingdom
|5th
|Discus throw
|
|-
|1984
|[[Athletics at the 1984 Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]
|[[Los Angeles]], [[United States]]
|5th
|Discus throw 
|<ref>[http://www.todor66.com/olim/1984/Athletics/Women_Discus_Throw.html Women Discus Throw Olympic Games Los Angeles 1984]</ref>
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{World Athletics}}
* [http://www.sporting-heroes.net/athletics-heroes/displayhero.asp?HeroID=1795 Profile] at Sporting Heroes
* {{SR/Olympics profile|ri/meg-ritchie-1}}

{{Footer Commonwealth Champions Discus Women}}
{{USA Indoor Track and Field Championships winners in women's shot put}}
{{Footer UK NC Discus Women}}
{{Footer Collegiate Track Field Cross Country Athlete Hall of Fame}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ritchie, Meg}}
[[Category:1952 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Kirkcaldy]]
[[Category:British female discus throwers]]
[[Category:British female shot putters]]
[[Category:Scottish female shot putters]]
[[Category:Scottish female discus throwers]]
[[Category:Olympic athletes for Great Britain]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1980 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Scotland]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1974 British Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1978 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1982 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships athletes for Great Britain]]
[[Category:Medallists at the 1982 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners]]
[[Category:Arizona Wildcats women's track and field athletes]]
[[Category:NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships winners]]
[[Category:20th-century Scottish sportswomen]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists in athletics]]