Lois Ann Testa Lynch (born December 16, 1935) is an American former athlete and teacher. She represented the United States in the

shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's ...

at the

1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, whi ...

Biography

Lois Ann Testa was born in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. She attended Pawtucket East High School, where she competed in swimming, basketball, and badminton. She attended

Rhode Island College Rhode Island College (RIC) is a public college in Providence, Rhode Island. The college was established in 1854 as the Rhode Island State Normal School, making it the second oldest institution of higher education in Rhode Island after Brown Uni ...

. At the suggestion of Olympian Janet Moreau, Testa began training in track and field at

Providence College Providence College is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic university in Providence, Rhode Island. Founded in 1917 by the Dominican Order and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, local diocese, it offers 47 undergradua ...

, and joined the Red Diamond Athletic Club. She won an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) title in the 1954 outdoor shot put, where she set an AAU record of 42 feet 7 inches. She also won the 1955–1956 AAU title for indoor shot put. In the 1956

United States Olympic Trials The United States Olympic Trials are competitions held in certain sports to select the United States' participants in those sports at the Olympic Games. These events include: * United States Olympic Trials (curling) * United States Olympic Trials (d ...

, Testa finished second in the shot put, achieving her personal best distance of 45 feet 6 3/4 inches. She also finished fourth in the discus throw, with a distance of 129 feet 3 inches. Competing in the shot put at the

in Melbourne, Testa qualified for the finals and finished 14th. Lois Testa graduated from Rhode Island College in 1957 with a bachelor's degree in elementary education. She worked as a teacher in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Florida. She was inducted into the

Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame The Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame was established in the State of Rhode Island in 1965. Its mission statement states that the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame "exists to honor and recognize, and to extol and publicize the achievements of th ...

in 1968. In 2000, she was inducted into the Rhode Island College Athletic Hall of Fame.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Testa, Lois 1935 births American female discus throwers American female shot putters Athletes (track and field) at the 1956 Summer Olympics Living people Olympic track and field athletes for the United States Rhode Island College alumni Sportspeople from Pawtucket, Rhode Island 21st-century American women