Jump to content

Debbie Heald

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Ser Amantio di Nicolao (talk | contribs) at 01:27, 20 September 2018 (→References: add authority control, test). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Debbie Heald is a former American middle distance runner.

Heald is the daughter of Richard and Ernestine Heald. She grew up in La Mirada, California.[1]

At 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 championships in running competitions and five district Amateur Athletic Union titles. She also held two national crowns.[3]

As a 16-year-old junior at Neff High School in La Mirada, California,[4][5] Heald defeated 1500m world record holder Tamara Pangelova of the USSR on March 17, 1972 at the Richmond Coliseum.[6][7] In doing so, Heald set a new women's world indoor mile record at 4 minutes 38.5 seconds.[1][[4]

Heald's American high school girl's indoor mile record stood for over 40 years,[8] until finally broken on January 26, 2013 by Mary Cain of Bronxville, NY.[9][10] Until that time, Heald's was the longest standing of any girls' high school record.[11]

Heald attended California State University, graduating with a degree in education.[12]

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.[12]

References

[13] [14] [15] [16] [17]

  1. ^ a b c d Debbie Heald Set an Important Record | Runner's World
  2. ^ "Faces In The Crowd". Sports Illustrated. 17 July 1967
  3. ^ "Faces In The Crowd". Sports Illustrated, 14 December 1970.
  4. ^ a b Glen Cantrell; Raymond Fernandez; Tony Aiello (6 September 2013). Reflections from McNally’s Mirror. Xlibris Corporation. pp. 95–. ISBN 978-1-4836-1882-1.[self-published source]
  5. ^ United States. Congress (1972). Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the ... Congress. U.S. Government Printing Office.
  6. ^ THEY'RE SWEET 16 AND DESERVE A KISS - SI.com
  7. ^ The Sports Illustrated Vault - SI.com
  8. ^ Mary Cain shatters high school mile record after taking SATs - USA TODAY High School Sports
  9. ^ Mary Cain Shatters H.S. Mile Record - Competitor.com
  10. ^ Women's Indoor High School Records
  11. ^ [High School Junior Makes Mile the Race to Watch"]. New York Times. KEN BELSON February 15, 2013
  12. ^ a b "Rough Run". Los Angeles Times.
  13. ^ https://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/16/sports/womens-mile-just-may-overshadow-mens-event-at-millrose-games.html?_r=0
  14. ^ The 10 Best Moments for U.S. Distance Running in 2013 | Running USA
  15. ^ Janet Heinonen (1979). Sports illustrated running for women. Lippincott. ISBN 978-0-397-01331-9.
  16. ^ The Commonwealth. Virginia State Chamber of Commerce. 1972.
  17. ^ "I was awesome" By Nicole Cliffe Hairpin, December 10, 2012
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Debbie_Heald&oldid=860346987"