Joe DeLoach

Joe DeLoach

Personal information
Nationality	American
Born	(1967-06-05) June 5, 1967 Bay City, Texas
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight	165 lb (75 kg)
Sport
Sport	Running
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	100m: 10.03 200m: 19.75
Medal record Men's Athletics Representing the United States Olympic Games 1988 Seoul 200m Pan American Junior Championships 1984 Nassau 100 m 1984 Nassau 200 m 1984 Nassau 4x100 relay

Joseph ("Joe") Nathaniel DeLoach (born June 5, 1967) is a former American sprinter; the 1988 Olympic champion in the 200 m.

Born in Bay City, Texas into a family with 11 sisters and one brother, DeLoach enjoyed running at a young age and desired to become a football player, but later set his mind to sprinting. He trained at the University of Houston, like Carl Lewis before him.

During his career, DeLoach only took part in one Olympiad, the 1988 Summer Olympics. Prior to the US Olympic Trials in Indianapolis, DeLoach had trouble performing well, but when it really mattered, he won the 200 m (beating his teammate from the Santa Monica Track Club, Carl Lewis, while placing fifth in the 100 m). The first performance was enough to qualify for the Games. There, he and Lewis were the major favorites. Lewis was looking to repeat his four gold medals from the Los Angeles Olympics. In the final, Lewis seemed heading for the title three-quarters of the way, but DeLoach caught up and finished in the Olympic record time of 19.75. This performance marked the only time Carl Lewis was defeated in an individual Olympic final.

After the Olympics, DeLoach failed to reach his 1988 level again, and after missing the 1992 Summer Olympics due to injury, he retired from sports. He currently lives in Sugar Land, Texas with his wife and three children.

In 2003, Dr. Wade Exum, the United States Olympic Committee's director of drug control administration from 1991 to 2000, gave copies of documents to Sports Illustrated which revealed that some 100 American athletes who failed drug tests and should have been prevented from competing in the Olympics were nevertheless cleared to compete. Among those athletes was DeLoach.

References

DeLoach cleared of alleged drug use along with many other athletes by the USOC

External links

• Joe DeLoach at World Athletics