Mary Decker facts for kids
Mary Teresa Slaney (born August 4, 1958), also known as Mary Decker, is a famous American runner who competed in middle-distance and long-distance races. She won gold medals in the 1500 meters and 3000 meters at the 1983 World Championships. Mary also held several world records, including the mile, 5000 meters, and 10,000 meters. She was the first woman ever to run the mile in under 4 minutes and 20 seconds. Throughout her career, she set 17 official and unofficial world records and 36 U.S. national records. In 2003, she was honored by being added to the National Track and Field Hall of Fame.
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Growing Up and Starting to Run
Mary Decker was born in Bunnvale, New Jersey. When she was about ten years old, her family moved to Garden Grove, California. This is where Mary first started running. Just a year later, at age 11, she won her very first local running competition.
She loved running so much that she joined both her school's athletics club and a local track club. She spent all her time running. When she was 12, she even completed a marathon! In the same week, she ran four other races before needing an appendectomy operation.
Mary Decker's Early Career
Even as a young teenager, Mary was already known as a top runner around the world. She was too young to compete in the 1972 Olympics at 14. However, in 1973, she gained international fame. She won the 800 meters race at a U.S.-USSR meet in Minsk, beating an Olympic silver medalist!
In 1973, she set her first world record by running an indoor mile in 4 minutes and 40.1 seconds. By 1974, Mary held world indoor records for both the 880 yards and 800 meters races.
Later in 1974, Mary developed a muscle condition called compartment syndrome. This led to many injuries, like stress fractures in her lower leg, which stopped her from competing in the 1976 Summer Olympics. In 1978, she had surgery for her condition and took some time off from racing. After getting better, she went to the University of Colorado at Boulder on a running scholarship.
In 1979, she became only the second American woman to run the mile in under 4 minutes and 30 seconds. Then, in 1980, Mary was the first woman to run the mile in under 4 minutes and 20 seconds, finishing in 4:17.55. However, this time was not officially recognized by the international athletics organization (IAAF). Mary could not compete in the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics because the United States chose not to send athletes. Even so, she received a special Congressional Gold Medal, given to American athletes who missed the Olympics that year.
In 1981, Mary married fellow runner Ron Tabb, but they later divorced in 1983. In 1982, using the name Mary Tabb, she ran the mile in 4:18.08. This time officially broke the previous world record and was recognized.
Career Highlights and World Records
In 1982, Mary Decker-Tabb set six world records in races from the mile to 10,000 meters. She was given the James E. Sullivan Award, which recognizes the best amateur athlete in the United States.
The next year, 1983, was amazing for Mary. She achieved what was called the "Double Decker" at the World Championships in Helsinki, Finland. She won both the 1500 meters and 3000 meters races! Her wins against top Soviet runners showed her great skill and strategy. After her double victory, she received the Jesse Owens Award and was named Sportsperson of the Year by Sports Illustrated magazine. Just before these wins, Mary also improved her U.S. 1500 meters record to 3:57.12. This record stood for 32 years!
The 1984 Olympic Race Incident
Mary Decker was expected to win a gold medal in the 3000 meters race at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. In the final race, a barefoot runner named Zola Budd from Great Britain was running very close to Mary. Mary stayed close behind Budd in a crowded part of the track. During the race, Mary and Budd collided, and Mary fell to the side of the track. She hurt her hip and could not finish the race. Maricica Puică of Romania won the gold medal. Mary was carried off the track, crying, by her boyfriend (who later became her husband), Richard Slaney.
After the race, Mary said that Budd was to blame for the collision. Track officials first disqualified Budd, but they changed their decision an hour later after watching videos of the race. Even though Mary was running behind Budd, some sports reporters agreed with Mary that Budd had bumped her leg. However, the race director and the international athletics organization (IAAF) did not agree.
Mary and Budd raced again in July 1985 in London. Mary won the 3000-meter race, and Budd finished fourth. After the race, they shook hands and made up. Years later, Mary said that she knew Budd didn't trip her on purpose. She explained that she fell because she was not very experienced at running in a close group of athletes. Budd and Decker even reunited for a 2016 documentary film about the incident called The Fall.
Mary had a very successful year in 1985. She won 12-mile and 3000-meter races in Europe. She also set a new official world record for the women's mile, running it in 4:16.71 in Zurich. In that race, she beat both Zola Budd and Maricica Puică. Since that race in 1985, Mary's mile time has only been beaten four times.
Mary missed the 1986 season because she gave birth to her only child. She then missed the 1987 season due to an injury. She qualified for the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, competing in the 1500 meters and 3000 meters. She finished 8th and 10th, respectively, and did not win a medal. She did not qualify for the 1992 Summer Olympics.
Later Life and Retirement
Throughout her later career, Mary suffered from many stress-related bone fractures. After a legal case in 1999, she had more than 30 surgeries, mostly on her legs and feet. She hoped these surgeries would help her run marathons competitively. However, she continued to get injured. Because of this, she retired with her husband to their property in Eugene, Oregon, where she enjoys jogging every other day.
International Competitions
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing  United States |
|||||
| 1979 | Pan American Games | San Juan, Puerto Rico | 1st | 1500 m | 4:05.7 |
| 1983 | World Championships | Helsinki, Finland | 1st | 1500 m | 4:00.90 |
| 1st | 3000 m | 8:34.62 | |||
| 1984 | Olympic Games | Los Angeles, United States | DNF | 3000 m | 8:44.32 (heat) |
| 1985 | Grand Prix Final | Rome, Italy | 1st | 3000 m | 8:46.38 |
| 1988 | Olympic Games | Seoul, South Korea | 8th | 1500 m | 4:02.49 |
| 10th | 3000 m | 8:47.13 | |||
| 1991 | Grand Prix Final | Barcelona, Spain | 2nd | Mile | 4:28.35 |
| 1996 | Olympic Games | Atlanta, United States | 21st (h) | 5000 m | 15:41.30 |
| 1997 | World Indoor Championships | Paris, France | 2nd | 1500 m | 4:05.22 |
| (h) Indicates overall position in qualifying heats. DNF = did not finish. | |||||
Images for kids
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Decker in 1982
In Spanish: Mary Decker-Slaney para niños
