1984 in the sport of athletics

This article contains an overview of the year 1984 in the sport of athletics.

1984 in athletics
Major world eventsOlympic Games
1983
1985

International Events

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World records

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Event Athlete Mark Date Venue
10,000 metres   Fernando Mamede (POR) 27:13.81 2 July Stockholm, Sweden
4 × 100 m Relay   United States (USA)
Sam Graddy
Ron Brown
Calvin Smith
Carl Lewis
37.83 August 11 Los Angeles
High Jump   Zhu Jianhua (CHN) 2.39m June 10 Eberstadt, West Germany
Pole Vault   Sergey Bubka (URS) 5.85m 26 May Bratislava, Czechoslovakia
  Sergey Bubka (URS) 5.88m 2 June Paris, France
  Sergey Bubka (URS) 5.90m 13 July London
  Thierry Vigneron (FRA) 5.91m 31 August Rome, Italy
  Sergey Bubka (URS) 5.94m 31 August Rome, Italy
Hammer   Yuriy Syedikh (URS) 86.34m 3 July Cork, Ireland
Javelin (old)   Uwe Hohn (GDR) 104.80m 20 July Berlin, East Germany
Decathlon   Jürgen Hingsen (FRG) 8832 8-9 June Mannheim, West Germany
  Daley Thompson (GBR) 8847 8-9 August Los Angeles, United States
Marathon   Steve Jones (GBR) 2:08:05 21 October Chicago, United States

Women

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EVENT ATHLETE MARK DATE VENUE
100 metres   Evelyn Ashford (USA) 10.76 22 August Zürich
Mile   Natalya Artyomova (URS) 4:15.8 5 August Leningrad
2000 metres   Tatyana Kazankina (URS) 5:28.72 4 August Moscow
3,000 metres   Tatyana Kazankina (URS) 8:22.62 26 August Leningrad
5,000 metres   Zola Pieterse (RSA) 15:01.83 5 January Stellenbosch
  Ingrid Kristiansen (NOR) 14:58.89 28 June Oslo
10,000 metres   Olga Bondarenko (URS) 31:13.78 24 June Kiev
400m Hurdles   Margarita Ponomaryova (URS) 53.58 22 June Kiev
4 × 400 m Relay   East Germany (GDR)
Gesine Walther
Sabine Busch
Dagmar Neubauer
Marita Koch
3:15.92 3 June Erfurt
4 × 800 m Relay   Soviet Union (URS)
Nadiya Olizarenko
Lyubov Gurina
Lyudmila Borisova
Irina Podyalovskaya
7:50.17 5 August Moscow
High Jump   Tamara Bykova (URS) 2.05m 22 June Kiev
  Lyudmila Andonova (BUL) 2.07m 20 July Berlin
Shot Put   Natalya Lisovskaya (URS) 22.53 27 May Sochi
Discus Throw   Irina Meszynski (GDR) 73.36 18 August Prague
  Zdenka Silhavá (TCH) 74.56 26 August Nitra
Heptathlon   Sabine John (GDR) 6946 5-6 May Potsdam
Half Marathon   Joan Benoit (USA) 1:08:34 16 September Philadelphia
  • Marita Koch (GDR) equals her own world record in the women's 200 metres held since 1979-06-10, clocking 21.71 seconds on 1984-07-21 at a meet in Potsdam.

Men's Best Year Performers

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Main race this year: Olympic Games 100 metres
RANK ATHLETE TIME DATE VENUE
1.   Mel Lattany (USA) 9.96 May 5 Athens, United States
2.   Carl Lewis (USA) 9.99 May 6 Houston, United States
3.   Marian Woronin (POL) 10.00 June 9 Warsaw, Poland
4.   Sam Graddy (USA) 10.09 May 12 Baton Rouge, United States
  Harvey Glance (USA) 10.09 August 22 Zürich, Switzerland
Main race this year: Olympic Games 200 metres
RANK ATHLETE TIME DATE VENUE
1.   Carl Lewis (USA) 19.80 August 8 Los Angeles, United States
2.   Kirk Baptiste (USA) 19.96 August 8 Los Angeles, United States
3.   Albert Robinson (USA) 20.07 May 5 Indianapolis, United States
4   Pietro Mennea (ITA) 20.07 October 3 Brindisi, Italy
5.   Thomas Jefferson (USA) 20.26 August 8 Los Angeles, United States
Main race this year: Olympic Games 400 metres
RANK ATHLETE TIME DATE VENUE
1.   Alonzo Babers (USA) 44.27 August 8 Los Angeles, United States
2.   Gabriel Tiacoh (CIV) 44.54 August 8 Los Angeles, United States
3.   Antonio McKay (USA) 44.71 June 21 Los Angeles, United States
4.   Darren Clark (AUS) 44.75 August 8 Los Angeles, United States
  Sunder Nix (USA) 44.75 August 8 Los Angeles, United States
Main race this year: Olympic Games 800 metres
RANK ATHLETE TIME DATE VENUE
1.   Joaquim Cruz (BRA) 1:41.77 August 26 Köln, West Germany
2.   Sammy Koskei (KEN) 1:42.28 August 26 Köln, West Germany
3.   Johnny Gray (USA) 1:42.96 August 29 Koblenz, West Germany
4.   Agberto Guimarães (BRA) 1:43.63 August 29 Koblenz, West Germany
5.   Sebastian Coe (GBR) 1:43.64 August 6 Los Angeles, United States
Main race this year: Olympic Games 1,500 metres
RANK ATHLETE TIME DATE VENUE
1.   Saïd Aouita (MAR) 3:31.54 July 6 Hengelo, Netherlands
2.   Sebastian Coe (GBR) 3:32.39 August 22 Zürich, Switzerland
3.   Steve Cram (GBR) 3:33.13 August 20 Budapest, Hungary
4.   Steve Scott (USA) 3:33.46 August 22 Zürich, Switzerland
5.   Pierre Délèze (SUI) 3:33.64 August 22 Zürich, Switzerland
Main race this year: Olympic Games 5,000 metres
RANK ATHLETE TIME DATE VENUE
1.   Saïd Aouita (MAR) 13:04.78 June 13 Florence, Italy
2.   Markus Ryffel (SUI) 13:07.54 August 11 Los Angeles, United States
3.   António Leitão (POR) 13:09.20 August 11 Los Angeles, United States
4.   Wodajo Bulti (ETH) 13:10.08 June 13 Florence, Italy
5.   Tim Hutchings (GBR) 13:11.50 August 11 Los Angeles, United States
Main race this year: Olympic Games 10,000 metres
RANK ATHLETE TIME DATE VENUE
1.   Fernando Mamede (POR) 27:13.81 July 2 Stockholm, Sweden
2.   Carlos Lopes (POR) 27:17.48 July 2 Stockholm, Sweden
3.   Hansjörg Kunze (GDR) 27:33.10 May 5 Potsdam, East Germany
4.   Mark Nenow (USA) 27:40.56 July 2 Stockholm, Sweden
5.   Martti Vainio (FIN) 27:41.75 June 13 Florence, Italy
RANK ATHLETE TIME DATE VENUE
1.   Alberto Cova (ITA) 1:01:52 May 6 Milan, Italy
Main race this year: Olympic Games 110m Hurdles
RANK ATHLETE TIME DATE VENUE
1.   Greg Foster (USA) 13.15 August 22 Zürich, Switzerland
2.   Roger Kingdom (USA) 13.16 August 22 Zürich, Switzerland
3.   Tony Campbell (USA) 13.23 May 13 Westwood, United States
4.   Mark McKoy (CAN) 13.27 July 25 Walnut, United States
5.   Arto Bryggare (FIN) 13.35 August 5 Los Angeles, United States
Main race this year: Olympic Games 400m Hurdles
RANK ATHLETE TIME DATE VENUE
1.   Edwin Moses (USA) 47.32 August 29 Koblenz, West Germany
2.   Harald Schmid (FRG) 47.69 July 10 Lausanne, Switzerland
3.   Danny Harris (USA) 48.02 June 17 Los Angeles, United States
4.   Tony Rambo (USA) 48.16 June 17 Los Angeles, United States
5.   Tranel Hawkins (USA) 48.28 June 18 Los Angeles, United States
Main race this year: Olympic Games 3,000m Steeplechase
RANK ATHLETE TIME DATE VENUE
1.   Joseph Mahmoud (FRA) 8:07.62 August 24 Brussels, Belgium
2.   Bogusław Mamiński (POL) 8:09.18 August 24 Brussels, Belgium
3.   Julius Korir (KEN) 8:11.80 August 10 Los Angeles, United States
4.   Brian Diemer (USA) 8:13.16 August 29 Koblenz, West Germany
5.   Colin Reitz (GBR) 8:13.78 July 21 Oslo, Norway
Main competition this year: Olympic Games High Jump
RANK ATHLETE HEIGHT DATE VENUE
1.   Zhu Jianhua (CHN) 2.39 June 10 Eberstadt, West Germany
2.   Carlo Thränhardt (FRG) 2.37 February 24 West Berlin, West Germany
  Valeriy Sereda (URS) September 2 Rieti, Italy
4.   Igor Paklin (URS) 2.36 February 1 Milan, Italy
  Sergey Zasimovich (URS) May 5 Tashkent, Soviet Union
  Dietmar Mögenburg (FRG) June 10 Eberstadt, West Germany
Main competition this year: Olympic Games Long Jump
RANK ATHLETE DISTANCE DATE VENUE
1.   Carl Lewis (USA) 8.79 January 27 New York, United States
2.   Larry Myricks (USA) 8.59 September 5 Rhede, United States
3.   Lutz Dombrowski (GDR) 8.50 July 27 Dresden, East Germany
4.   Konstantin Semykin (URS) 8.38 August 17 Moscow, Soviet Union
5.   Jaime Jefferson (CUB) 8.37 August 17 Moscow, Soviet Union
Main competition this year: Olympic Games Triple Jump
RANK ATHLETE DISTANCE DATE VENUE
1.   Oleg Protsenko (URS) 17.52 June 21 Kiev, Soviet Union
2.   Aleksandr Yakovlyev (URS) 17.50 June 10 Sochi, Soviet Union
  Mike Conley (USA) June 17 Los Angeles, United States
4.   Gennadiy Valyukevich (URS) 17.47 July 19 Moscow, Soviet Union
5.   Lázaro Betancourt (CUB) 17.45 August 26 Cologne, West Germany
Main competition this year: Olympic Games Discus Throw
RANK ATHLETE DISTANCE DATE VENUE
1.   John Powell (USA) 71.26 June 9 San José, United States
  Ricky Bruch (SWE) November 15 Malmö, Sweden
3.   Art Burns (USA) 70.98 July 21 Eugene, United States
4.   Mac Wilkins (USA) 70.44 June 9 San José, United States
5.   Imrich Bugár (TCH) 70.26 September 8 Cagliari, Italy
RANK ATHLETE DISTANCE DATE VENUE
1.   Yuriy Syedikh (URS) 86.34 July 3 Cork City, Ireland
2.   Sergey Litvinov (URS) 85.20 July 3 Cork City, Ireland
3.   Jüri Tamm (URS) 84.40 September 9 Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
4.   Igor Nikulin (URS) 82.56 August 17 Moscow, Soviet Union
5.   Juha Tiainen (FIN) 81.52 June 11 Tampere, Finland
Main competition this year: Olympic Games Shot Put
RANK ATHLETE DISTANCE DATE VENUE
1.   Brian Oldfield (USA) 22.19 May 26 San José, United States
2.   Sergey Kasnauskas (URS) 22.09 August 23 Stayki, Soviet Union
3.   Udo Beyer (GDR) 22.04 June 11 Rehlingen, United States
4.   John Brenner (USA) 21.92 June 2 Eugene, United States
5.   Michael Carter (USA) 21.76 June 2 Eugene, United States
Main competition this year: Olympic Games Javelin Throw
RANK ATHLETE DISTANCE DATE VENUE
1.   Uwe Hohn (GDR) 104.80 July 20 East Berlin, East Germany
2.   Detlef Michel (GDR) 93.68 June 2 Erfurt, East Germany
3.   Duncan Atwood (USA) 93.44 June 18 Los Angeles, United States
4.   Raimo Manninen (FIN) 93.42 July 1 Pihtipudas, Finland
5.   Einar Vilhjálmsson (ISL) 92.42 April 6 Austin, United States
Main competition this year: Olympic Games Pole Vault
RANK ATHLETE HEIGHT DATE VENUE
1.   Sergey Bubka (URS) 5.94 August 31 Rome, Italy
2.   Thierry Vigneron (FRA) 5.91 August 31 Rome, Italy
3.   Konstantin Volkov (URS) 5.85 June 22 Kiev, Soviet Union
4.   Mike Tully (USA) 5.82 July 21 Eugene, United States
  Aleksandr Krupskiy (URS) August 20 Budapest, Hungary
Main competition this year: Olympic Games Decathlon
RANK ATHLETE POINTS DATE VENUE
1.   Jürgen Hingsen (FRG) 8798 June 9 Mannheim, West Germany
  Daley Thompson (GBR) August 9 Los Angeles, United States
3.   Uwe Freimuth (GDR) 8704 July 21 Potsdam, East Germany
4.   Grigoriy Degtyaryev (URS) 8652 June 22 Moscow, Soviet Union
5.   Aleksandr Apaychev (URS) 8642 June 3 Neubrandenburg, DDR

Women's Best Year Performers

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Main race this year: Olympic Games 100 metres
RANK 1984 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS TIME
1.   Evelyn Ashford (USA) 10.76
2.   Marlies Göhr (GDR) 10.84
3.   Florence Griffith (USA) 10.99
4.   Merlene Ottey-Page (JAM) 11.01
5.   Lyudmila Kondratyeva (URS) 11.02
Main race this year: Olympic Games 200 metres
RANK 1984 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS TIME
1.   Marita Koch (GDR) 21.71
2.   Marlies Göhr (GDR) 21.74
3.   Valerie Brisco (USA) 21.81
4.   Bärbel Wöckel (GDR) 21.85
5.   Florence Griffith (USA) 22.04
Main race this year: Olympic Games 400 metres
RANK 1984 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS TIME
1.   Marita Koch (GDR) 48.16
2.   Tatána Kocembová (TCH) 48.73
3.   Valerie Brisco (USA) 48.83
4.   Olga Vladykina (URS) 48.98
5.   Jarmila Kratochvílová (TCH) 49.02
Main race this year: Olympic Games 800 metres
RANK 1984 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS TIME
1.   Irina Podyalovskaya (URS) 1:55.69
2.   Nadiya Olizarenko (URS) 1:56.09
3.   Lyubov Gurina (URS) 1:56.26
4.   Doina Melinte (ROU) 1:56.53
5.   Lyudmila Borisova (URS) 1:56.78
Main race this year: Olympic Games 1,500 metres
RANK 1984 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS TIME
1.   Nadezhda Ralldugina (URS) 3:56.63
2.   Yekaterina Podkopayeva (URS) 3:56.65
3.   Maricica Puică (ROU) 3:57.22
4.   Tatyana Pozdnyakova (URS) 3:57.70
5.   Galina Zakharova (URS) 3:57.72
RANK 1984 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS TIME
1.   Natalya Artyomova (URS) 4:15.8
2.   Ruth Wysocki (USA) 4:21.78
3.   Christina Boxer (GBR) 4:22.64
4.   Mary Decker (USA) 4:22.92
5.   Christine Benning (GBR) 4:24.57
Main race this year: Olympic Games 3,000 metres
RANK 1984 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS TIME
1.   Tatyana Kazankina (URS) 8:22.62
2.   Svetlana Guskova (URS) 8:29.59
3.   Tatyana Pozdnyakova (URS) 8:32.0
4.   Maricica Puică (ROU) 8:33.57
5.   Mary Decker (USA) 8:34.91
RANK 1984 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS TIME
1.   Ingrid Kristiansen (NOR) 14:58.89
2.   Zola Budd (RSA) 15:01.83
3.   Aurora Cunha (POR) 15:09.07
4.   Angela Tooby (GBR) 15:22.50
5.   Brenda Webb (USA) 15:22.76
RANK 1984 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS TIME
1.   Olga Bondarenko (URS) 31:13.78
2.   Galina Zakharova (URS) 31:15.00
3.   Zhanna Tursunova (URS) 31:53.53
4.   Lyubov Konyukhova (URS) 31:56.01
5.   Anna Domoradskaya (URS) 31:56.02
RANK 1984 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS TIME
1.   Joan Benoit (USA) 1:08:34
Main race this year: Olympic Games 100m Hurdles
RANK 1984 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS TIME
1.   Lucyna Kalek (POL) 12.43
2.   Vera Akimova (URS) 12.50
  Yordanka Donkova (BUL)
4.   Bettine Jahn (GDR) 12.53
5.   Sabine Paetz (GDR) 12.54
Main race this year: Olympic Games 400m Hurdles
RANK 1984 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS TIME
1.   Margarita Ponomaryova (URS) 53.58
2.   Marina Styepanova (URS) 53.67
3.   Yekaterina Fesenko (URS) 54.34
4.   Tatyana Pavlova (URS) 54.43
5.   Yelena Filipishina (URS) 54.56
Main competition this year: Olympic Games High Jump
RANK 1984 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS HEIGHT
1.   Lyudmila Andonova (BUL) 2.07
2.   Tamara Bykova (URS) 2.05
3.   Ulrike Meyfarth (FRG) 2.02
4.   Sara Simeoni (ITA) 2.00
  Stefka Kostadinova (BUL)
Main competition this year: Olympic Games Long Jump
RANK 1984 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS DISTANCE
1.   Heike Drechsler (GDR) 7.40
2.   Galina Chistyakova (URS) 7.29
3.   Anişoara Cuşmir (ROU) 7.27
4.   Helga Radtke (GDR) 7.21
5.   Sabine Paetz (GDR) 7.12
Main competition this year: Olympic Games Discus Throw
RANK 1984 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS DISTANCE
1.   Zdeňka Šilhavá (TCH) 74.56
2.   Irina Meszynski (GDR) 73.36
3.   Galina Savinkova (URS) 73.28
4.   Gisela Beyer (GDR) 73.10
5.   Martina Hellmann (GDR) 72.32
Main competition this year: Olympic Games Shot Put
RANK 1984 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS DISTANCE
1.   Natalya Lisovskaya (URS) 22.53
2.   Ilona Slupianek (GDR) 21.85
3.   Helena Fibingerová (TCH) 21.60
4.   Nunu Abashidze (URS) 21.53
5.   Ines Müller (GDR) 21.32
Main competition this year: Olympic Games Javelin Throw
RANK 1984 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS DISTANCE
1.   Petra Felke (GDR) 74.72
2.   Tiina Lillak (FIN) 74.24
3.   Anna Verouli (GRE) 72.70
4.   Antje Zöllkau (GDR) 72.16
5.   Fatima Whitbread (GBR) 71.68
Main competition this year: Olympic Games Heptathlon
RANK 1984 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS POINTS
1.   Sabine Paetz (GDR) 6946
2.   Natalya Shubenkova (URS) 6859
3.   Jane Frederick (USA) 6803
4.   Ramona Neubert (GDR) 6789
5.   Anke Vater (GDR) 6775

Marathon

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Year Rankings

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RANK ATHLETE TIME DATE VENUE
1.   Stephen Jones (GBR) 2:08:05 WR October 21 Chicago, United States
2.   Carlos Lopes (POR) 2:09:06 October 21 Chicago, United States
3.   Robert de Castella (AUS) 2:09:09 October 21 Chicago, United States
4.   Jörg Peter (GDR) 2:09:14 July 21 East Berlin, East Germany
5.   Carlos Lopes (POR) 2:09:21 August 12 Los Angeles, United States
6.   Michael Heilmann (GDR) 2:09:30 July 21 East Berlin, East Germany
7.   Ernest Seleke (RSA) 2:09:41 March 31 Port Elizabeth, South Africa
8.   John Treacy (IRL) 2:09:56 August 12 Los Angeles, United States
9.   Charlie Spedding (GBR) 2:09:57 May 13 London, United Kingdom
10.   Charlie Spedding (GBR) 2:09:58 August 12 Los Angeles, United States

Women

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RANK ATHLETE TIME DATE VENUE
1.   Ingrid Kristiansen (NOR) 2:24:26 WR May 13 London, United Kingdom
2.   Joan Benoit (USA) 2:24:52 August 5 Los Angeles, United States
3.   Rosa Mota (POR) 2:26:01 October 21 Chicago, United States
4.   Grete Waitz (NOR) 2:26:18 August 5 Los Angeles, United States
5.   Katrin Dörre (GDR) 2:26:52 July 21 East Berlin, East Germany
6.   Rosa Mota (POR) 2:26:57 August 5 Los Angeles, United States
7.   Ingrid Kristiansen (NOR) 2:27:34 August 5 Los Angeles, United States
8.   Lisa Martin (AUS) 2:27:40 October 21 Chicago, United States
9.   Ingrid Kristiansen (NOR) 2:27:51 January 15 Houston, United States
10.   Lorraine Moller (NZL) 2:28:34 August 5 Los Angeles, United States

International Races

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DATE MARATHON NATION MEN'S WINNER TIME WOMEN'S WINNER TIME
February 19 Los Angeles Marathon   United States   Gidamis Shahanga 2:10:19   Jacqueline Gareau 2:31:57
April 14 Rotterdam Marathon   Netherlands   Gidamis Shahanga 2:11:12   Carla Beurskens 2:34:56
April 16 Boston Marathon   United States   Geoff Smith 2:10:34   Lorraine Moller 2:29:28
May 12 Amsterdam Marathon   Netherlands   Gerard Nijboer 2:14:28   Eefje van Wissen 2:43:51
May 12 Paris Marathon   France   Hussein Ahmed Salah 2:11:58   Sylviane Geffray 2:38:20
May 13 London Marathon   United Kingdom   Charlie Spedding 2:09:57   Ingrid Kristiansen 2:24:26
August 5 Olympic Marathon   United States   Joan Benoit 2:24:52
August 12 Olympic Marathon   United States   Carlos Lopes 2:09:58
September 30 Berlin Marathon   West Germany   John Skovbjerg 2:13:35   Agnes Jakab 2:39:32
October 21 Chicago Marathon   United States   Stephen Jones 2:08:05   Rosa Mota 2:26:01
December 2 Fukuoka Marathon   Japan   Takeyuki Nakayama 2:10:00

Births

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January

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February

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March

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April

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June

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July

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August

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September

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October

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November

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December

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Deaths

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References

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