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Debbie Heald (born 20 August 1955) is a former American track and field athlete, known for her success in middle-distance races.

Early life

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

Career

At the age of eleven, Heald was a member of the Hutchinson Track Club. 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. 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.

Heald defeated the then-current 1500m world record holder Tamara Pangelova of the USSR on March 17, 1972, at the Richmond Coliseum. 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.

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. Until that time, Heald's record was the longest-standing of any girls' high school record.

Heald attended California State University, Fullerton, graduating with a degree in education. 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.

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.

References

1. Debbie Heald at World Athletics
2. ^ "Debbie Heald Set an Important Record". Runner's World. 2012-12-03. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
3. "Faces In The Crowd". Sports Illustrated. 17 July 1967
4. "Faces In The Crowd". Sports Illustrated, 14 December 1970.
5. United States. Congress (1972). Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the ... Congress. U.S. Government Printing Office.
6. Putnam, Pat. "THEY'RE SWEET 16 AND DESERVE A KISS". Sports Illustrated Vault | SI.com. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
7. The Sports Illustrated Vault - SI.com
8. Belson, Ken (16 February 2013). "High School Junior Makes Mile the Race to Watch". The New York Times.
9. ^ Pucin, Diane (2002-01-14). "Rough Run". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
10. "Mary Cain shatters high school mile record after taking SATs". January 28, 2013.
11. "Rock 'n' Roll Running Series". www.runrocknroll.com. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
12. "Women's Indoor High School Records".
13. . New York Times. KEN BELSON February 15, 2013
14. "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.
15. Janet Heinonen (1979). Sports illustrated running for women. Lippincott. ISBN 978-0-397-01331-9.

• USA Indoor Track and Field Championships winners
• 21st-century American women
• American female middle-distance runners
• California State University, Fullerton alumni
• Living people
• 1955 births
• 20th-century American sportswomen