Debbie Heald is a former American track and field athlete, known for her success in middle-distance races.
Early life
editHeald is the daughter of Richard and Ernestine Heald. She grew up in La Mirada, California.[1]
Career
editAt the age of eleven, Heald was a member of the Hutchinson Track Club.[1] At a meet in Lancaster, she finished a mile race with a time of 5:33.9, which at the time was the fastest time recorded for a girl of her age.[2] By the time she was fourteen, Heald had won three state running championships and five district Amateur Athletic Union titles. She also held two national crowns.[3]
Heald defeated the then-current 1500m world record holder Tamara Pangelova of the USSR on March 17, 1972, at the Richmond Coliseum.[4][5][6][7] Her win was a significant victory as it was during the height of the Cold War and prior to this the Soviets had predominantly dominated the sport.[8]
As well as winning, with that race Heald also set an American high school record for the indoor mile for girls track (with a time of 4:38.5), which stood for over 40 years, until finally broken on January 26, 2013, by Mary Cain.[9][1][10][11] Until that time, Heald's record was the longest-standing of any girls' high school record.[12][13]
Heald attended California State University, Fullerton, graduating with a degree in education.[8] Heald continued to train throughout her college years, but her career was progressively hampered by repeated injuries and tendonitis from overtraining, as well as a diagnosis of schizophrenia.[1]
In 2002, Heald carried the Olympic torch in Los Angeles on its nationwide tour in advance of the Winter Olympic Games at Salt Lake City.[8][14]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Debbie Heald Set an Important Record". Runner's World. 2012-12-03. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
- ^ "Faces In The Crowd". Sports Illustrated. 17 July 1967
- ^ "Faces In The Crowd". Sports Illustrated, 14 December 1970.
- ^ United States. Congress (1972). Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the ... Congress. U.S. Government Printing Office.
- ^ Putnam, Pat. "THEY'RE SWEET 16 AND DESERVE A KISS". Sports Illustrated Vault | SI.com. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
- ^ The Sports Illustrated Vault - SI.com
- ^ Belson, Ken (16 February 2013). "High School Junior Makes Mile the Race to Watch". The New York Times.
- ^ a b c Pucin, Diane (2002-01-14). "Rough Run". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
- ^ "Mary Cain shatters high school mile record after taking SATs". January 28, 2013.
- ^ "Rock 'n' Roll Running Series". www.runrocknroll.com. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
- ^ "Women's Indoor High School Records".
- ^ [High School Junior Makes Mile the Race to Watch"]. New York Times. KEN BELSON February 15, 2013
- ^ "Mary Cain shatters high school mile record after taking SATs - USA TODAY High School Sports". Archived from the original on 2013-12-26. Retrieved 2014-01-03.
- ^ Janet Heinonen (1979). Sports illustrated running for women. Lippincott. ISBN 978-0-397-01331-9.