Lance Deal

Lance Deal
Personal information
Full nameLance Earl Deal
Born (1961-08-21) 21 August 1961 (age 63)
Riverton, Wyoming, United States
Height1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Weight116 kg (256 lb)
Sport
CountryUnited States United States
SportAthletics
EventHammer throw
College teamMontana State University
Achievements and titles
Personal best
  • Hammer throw: 82.52 (1996)
Medal record
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1996 Atlanta Hammer throw
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 1995 Mar del Plata Hammer throw
Gold medal – first place 1999 Winnipeg Hammer throw

Lance Earl Deal (born August 21, 1961, in Riverton, Wyoming) is a former American athlete who won a silver medal in the hammer throw in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. He also competed in the 1988, 1992, and 2000 Summer Olympics.[1]

Career

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In the hammer throw finals at the 1996 Olympic Games, only the top eight competitors after three throws were awarded three additional throws. Deal fouled his first two throws; his third equaled the eighth longest throw of the competition. However, he was only in ninth place, because the other competitor had a second legal throw. The announcer initially stated that, on the basis of that tiebreaker, Deal was out of the rest of the competition. The officials corrected the error, however; IAAF rules do not call for breaking ties in this case. So Deal advanced, and on his sixth and final throw, won the silver medal behind Balázs Kiss of Hungary.

Later in the season, he threw 82.52 m (270 ft 8+34 in) to win the IAAF Grand Prix Final. 24 years later, in 2020, that throw was ratified as the American Masters M35 record.[2] That mark would also be a World Record if it is ever ratified by WMA.

Deal graduated from Natrona County High School in Casper, Wyoming, where he earned All-State Honors in football, wrestling, and track. He went on to graduate from Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana. He currently works at the University of Oregon as the Director of Track & Field Venues and Program Support. He was the throws coach (for discus, hammer, javelin, and shot put) at the University of Oregon until 2010. Deal is married and has one daughter.

Deal was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame on September 25, 2007.[3][4] He was also inducted into the Wyoming Sports Hall of Fame in 2002. In 2014, he was elected into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame.[5]

Achievements

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Year Competition Venue Position Notes
Representing the  United States
1988 Olympic Games Seoul, South Korea 17th 73.66 m
1991 World Championships Tokyo, Japan 13th 72.90 m
1992 Olympic Games Barcelona, Spain 7th 76.84 m
1993 World Championships Stuttgart, Germany 9th 76.20 m
1995 Pan American Games Mar del Plata, Argentina 1st 75.64 m
World Championships Gothenburg, Sweden 5th 78.66 m
1996 Olympic Games Atlanta, Georgia, United States 2nd 81.12 m
IAAF Grand Prix Final Milan, Italy 1st 82.52 m
1999 Pan American Games Winnipeg, Canada 1st 79.61 m
World Championships Seville, Spain 13th 75.29 m
2000 Olympic Games Sydney, Australia 16th 75.61 m

References

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  1. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Lance Deal". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on December 4, 2016.
  2. ^ "Masters Track & Field Records by USATF - Flipsnack".
  3. ^ "Deal, Shanley inducted to Oregon Sports Hall of Fame". Eugene Register-Guard. August 3, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-03. [dead link]
  4. ^ "2007 Oregon Hall of Fame inductees". OregonLive.com. August 3, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-03.
  5. ^ "National Track & Field Hall of Fame". USATF.
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