Oto Yanovich Grigalka (; 28 June 1925 – 8 February 1993) was a Latvian track and field athlete who competed in the shot put and discus throw. He represented the Soviet Union at the Summer Olympics in 1952 and 1956. He placed fourth in the shot put and sixth in the discus in 1952, then came fifth at the 1956 Olympic discus competition.Oto Grigalka. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2016-04-11.
Grigalka was twice a medallist for the Soviet Union at the European Athletics Championships, taking shot put bronze in 1950, then the shot put silver in 1954. He also competed in the discus at the latter edition, placing sixth.Otto Grigalka. Track and Field Brinkster. Retrieved on 2016-04-11.European Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-04-11. He was highly successful as a student-athlete at the World Festival of Youth and Students, taking three consecutive shot put silver medals before winning the gold medal in 1955.World Student Games (UIE). GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-04-11.
At national level he was a seven-time winner at the Soviet Athletics Championships, taking three straight shot put titles from 1952 to 1954 and going undefeated in the discus throw from 1953 to 1956. During his career he was a member of the Dynamo Moscow sports club and was trained by Leonīds Mitropoļskis. He later went into coaching and was throws coach to the 1964 Olympic Soviet team.Oto Grigalka. Latvian Olympic Association. Retrieved on 2016-04-11.
His personal bests were for the shot put (achieved during his 1954 European silver medal performance) and , achieved in Kharkov in 1958. He was highly ranked in the discus throw during the latter part of his career, placing third on the world seasonal lists for the event in 1955 and 1958. His best yearly placing in the shot put was fifth, which he achieved in both 1951 and 1954.
He was born and died in Saikava, a small village in Latvia's Madona Municipality. He married a fellow Soviet track athlete, Mariya Pisareva who won an Olympic high jump medal.
International competitions 1949World Festival of Youth and StudentsBudapest, Hungary2ndShot put14.76 m1950European ChampionshipsBrussels, Belgium3rdShot put15.14 m1951World Festival of Youth and StudentsEast Berlin, East Germany2ndShot put15.59 m1952Olympic GamesHelsinki, Finland4thShot put16.78 m6thDiscus throw50.71 m1953World Festival of Youth and StudentsBucharest, Romania2ndShot put16.23 m1954European ChampionshipsBern, Switzerland2ndShot put16.69 m6thDiscus throw50.60 m1955World Festival of Youth and StudentsWarsaw, Poland1stShot put17.05 m1956Olympic GamesMelbourne, Australia5thDiscus throw52.37 m
National titles Soviet Athletics Championships Shot put: 1952, 1953, 1954 Discus throw: 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956
See also List of European Athletics Championships medalists (men)
References