Mary Decker Biography - Little Mary, Olympic Struggles, Repairing The Damage, Chronology, Awards And Accomplishments, Decker's Legacy - CONTACT INFORMATION
olympics american medal games
1958-
American track and field athlete
Mary Decker is remembered by many for what she did not do, rather than what she did. Although Decker, who started her impressive career as a pre-teen, is one of the world's fastest middle-distance runners ever, bad circumstances interfered in Decker's attempts to win an Olympic gold medal. Throughout her long running career, Decker pushed her body past its breaking point, courting the spotlight and injuries with her intensity and drive. Unfortunately, this determination and relentless commitment to her sport led to related injuries that kept her out of the 1976 Olympics. In 1980, when it looked like she would get a second chance, the American government—caught up in Cold War politics—boycotted the Olympic games, which were held in Moscow. In 1984, Decker made it to the Games, and was in good shape to win the 3,000-meter event, when she was tripped by another runner and knocked out of the race. In 1988 and 1996, Decker qualified for the Olympics again, but failed to medal each time.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Address: Mary Decker-Slaney, 2923 Flintlock St., Eugene, OR 97401-4660.
Sketch by Ryan D. Poquette
Additional Topics
Mary Decker was born on August 4, 1958, in Bunnvale, New Jersey, although her family moved to Southern California ten years later. It was in California that Decker first got interested in running. At age eleven, a year after taking up running, Decker won her first local racing competition. She immersed herself in running, competing in several other local and regional events. She also joined a runn…
By 1980, however, Decker had recovered from her surgery and was running in top form, setting several records in the process, including an American record in the 800-meter race and world records in the 880-yard and 1,500-meter races. At the Olympic trials for the 1980 Moscow Olympics, Decker qualified and was expected to medal, but never even had the chance to try. United States President Jimmy Car…
Following the Olympics, Decker underwent six weeks of therapy to heal her injuries, which included a pulled hip muscle. Once her body was healed, Decker started training again. At the same time, she married Richard Slaney—a former discus thrower—and tried to move on with her life. Unfortunately, it was not that easy. Besides working to repair the physical injuries she sustained in th…
While many will undoubtedly remember Decker for the medals that got away, her consistent and impressive record for middle-distance running has made her a star—Olympic medal or not. Decker started her career at the ripe age of eleven and began setting world records in her teens. More than three decades later, with a teenage daughter of her own, Decker continued to impress her peers with her …
Decker sensed Budd drifting to the inside. "She tried to cut in without being, basically, ahead," Decker would say. But Decker didn't do what a seasoned middle-distance runner would have done. She didn't reach out to Budd's shoulder to let her know she was there, too close behind for Budd to move to the pole. Instead, Decker shortened her stride for a couple of s…
Christensen, Karen, Allen Guttmann, and Gertrud Pfister, eds. International Encyclopedia of Women and Sports. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2001. Great Women in Sports. Detroit: Visible Ink Press, 1996. Layden, Joe. Women In Sports: The Complete Book on the World's Greatest Female Athletes. Los Angeles: General Publishing Group, 1997. Lincoln Library of Sports Champions. The Frontier Pr…
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