Mary Decker is an American former middle- and long-distance runner who dominated womens distance running in the early 1980s. She won gold in both the 1500 meters and 3000 meters at the 1983 World Championships, was the first woman to run a mile in under 4 minutes 20 seconds, and set thirty six United States records across distances from 800 meters to 10,000 meters, some of which stood for decades, including a 1500-meter mark that lasted 32 years and a mile record that stood for 38 years. For part of the early 1980s she competed under her then married name, Mary Decker Tabb, and she was inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2003.
Facts
Career HighlightWon gold medals in both the 1500 meters and 3000 meters at the 1983 World Championships. 1 Classification
Competition Category FAQs
What happened to Mary Decker in the 1984 Olympic 3000 metres final?
She collided with Zola Budd on an early lap of the final and fell with a hip injury.
Mary Decker was the hometown favorite at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and chose to run only the 3000 metres. In the final, on an early lap, she collided with the South African runner Zola Budd, who was competing for Great Britain at those Games. Decker fell to the track with a hip injury and could not continue. Olympedia records that she never returned to her form of 1983, though she did make the 1988 and 1996 Olympic teams.
Connections
Competed In
Source Wikipedia, Mary Decker
Plays
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Nationality
Also in Geography Atlas: the nationality of this subject.
Source Wikipedia, Mary Deckertier 2
Sources
1. Wikipedia, Mary Decker
WikipediaIntroduction
Mary Teresa Decker, (born August 4, 1958) is an American retired middle-distance and long-distance runner.
Opening paragraph, first sentence
is an American retired middle-distance and long-distance runner.
Opening paragraph, career summary sentence
she won gold medals in the 1500 meters and 3000 meters at the 1983 World Championships
Wikipedia, article summary lead
Mary Teresa Decker, (born August 4, 1958) is an American retired middle-distance and long-distance runner.
Competed In: 1988 Summer Olympics, Article text
She qualified for the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, competing at 1500 meters and 3000 meters, but finished in 8th and 10th respectively, failing to win a medal.
View the Source Wikidata: Mary Decker
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