DeDee Nathan facts for kids
LeShundra "DeDee" Nathan, born on April 20, 1968, in Birmingham, Alabama, is a retired American athlete. She is famous for competing in the heptathlon, a tough track and field event. DeDee won a gold medal at the 1991 Pan American Games in Havana, Cuba. She was also a two-time U.S. champion in 2000 and 2001. In 1999, she won a gold medal at the World Indoor Championships in the pentathlon. She went to high school in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and later studied at Indiana University.
DeDee also won the 1999 Hypo-Meeting, which is a big competition for multi-event athletes.
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What is a Heptathlon?
The heptathlon is a challenging track and field event. Athletes compete in seven different events over two days. The word "heptathlon" comes from "hepta," meaning seven.
- Day 1 events:
- 100 metres hurdles (running over obstacles)
- High jump (jumping over a bar)
- Shot put (throwing a heavy ball)
- 200 metres (a sprint race)
- Day 2 events:
- Long jump (jumping for distance)
- Javelin throw (throwing a spear-like object)
- 800 metres (a middle-distance running race)
Athletes earn points for their performance in each event. The person with the most points at the end wins! The pentathlon is similar but has five events, usually done indoors.
DeDee's Amazing Wins
DeDee Nathan competed in many big international events. She showed great skill and determination.
Pan American Games Success
DeDee won a gold medal at the 1991 Pan American Games in Havana, Cuba. This was a huge achievement for her. Four years later, at the 1995 Pan American Games in Mar del Plata, Argentina, she won a bronze medal. This shows she was consistently one of the best athletes.
World Indoor Champion
In 1999, DeDee became a world champion! She won the gold medal in the pentathlon at the 1999 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Maebashi, Japan. This was a major highlight of her career. She also competed in the World Indoor Championships in 1993 and 1997, finishing 8th and 7th.
World Championships and Olympics
DeDee also competed in the outdoor World Championships in Athletics several times. She finished 8th in 1995, 7th in 1997, and 7th again in 2001. In 2000, she represented the United States at the Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. She finished 9th in the heptathlon, which is a fantastic result at the highest level of sports.
Her Best Performances
DeDee Nathan had some incredible personal bests in her career. These are her top scores and times in each event:
- 200 metres - 24.11 seconds
- 800 metres - 2 minutes, 16.01 seconds
- 100 metres hurdles - 13.10 seconds
- High jump - 1.81 metres (about 5 feet, 11 inches)
- Long jump - 6.59 metres (about 21 feet, 7 inches)
- Shot put - 16.06 metres (about 52 feet, 8 inches)
- Javelin throw - 50.08 metres (about 164 feet, 4 inches)
- Heptathlon - 6577 points
These scores show how talented and strong she was across many different athletic challenges.
See also
In Spanish: Le Shundra Nathan para niños
