 Schmidt in 1976 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 29, 1953 (1953-12-29) (age 71) Long Beach, California, U.S. |
| Height | 186 cm (6 ft 1 in) |
| Weight | 80 kg (176 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
Event | Javelin throw |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personalbest | 69.32 m (1977)[1][2] |
Medal record | |
Kathryn Joan "Kate" Schmidt (born December 29, 1953) is an American formerworld record holder in thejavelin throw. A native ofCalifornia, graduate ofWoodrow Wilson Classical High School,[3] and alumnus ofUCLA, she won bronze medals at the 1972 and 1976 Olympics. She qualified for the 1980 Olympics, but did not compete due to the1980 Summer Olympics boycott. She placed fourth at the1984 Olympic Trials.
From 1972 to 1977, Schmidt won sevennational titles. She set a newworld record of 69.32 m (227 ft 5 in) inFürth,Germany. Her throw was almost 30 feet longer than the previousAmerican record of 198 feet 8 inches (60.55 m) set byBarbara Friedrich in 1967. Schmidt holds twelve of the top 20 spots of the farthest throws ever by an American. She held the American record until the women'sjavelin was redesigned in 1999, resetting the records.
Schmidt is a member of theUSATFNational Track and Field Hall of Fame (1994),[4] the National Throws Coaches Hall of Fame, theCSULB Hall of Fame,the LBCC HAll of Fame, and theWoodrow Wilson High School Hall of Fame (Long Beach, CA).
Schmidt owns HomeBodies, a mobile fitness and rehab business, and was the men's and women's throwing coach forOccidental College inNorthern Los Angeles for a while.[5] Schmidt is also an abstract artist with works on display with theArt of the Olympians (AOTO) organization.[6]
1996, Kate Schmidt (age 42) won the javelin at the Masters National Outdoor Track and Field Championship, Spokane, WA.[7]
Media related toKate Schmidt at Wikimedia Commons   | This article about a track and field Olympic medalist of the United States is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |
