Doug Padilla

Douglas Padilla (born October 4, 1956 in Oakland ) is a retired American athlete . His discipline was middle and long distance running.

Career

Doug Padilla attended Brigham Young University in Provo , Utah , from which he graduated in 1983. The professed Mormon took part in the US student championships, but could not win a title. However, he won the US Indoor Championships in 1981 over 2 miles .

After completing his studies, Padilla concentrated on the long distances over 3000 and 5000 meters . Over 5000 meters he was four times in a row (1983 to 1986) US champion.

Internationally he was known for his strong final sprint. At the 1st World Championships in Helsinki in 1983 Padilla finished 5th in the final. In 1984 he qualified by winning the US Olympic eliminations for the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles . In the final, he was seventh. In 1985, he won the 5000 meter World Cup.

After his national title in 1986, Padilla experienced a form crisis. At least he was able to qualify for the 1st World Indoor Championships in 1987 in Indianapolis . Here he competed over 3000 meters and finished 5th in the final. He was also able to qualify over 5000 meters for the World Championships in Rome in 1987 , but failed in the preliminary run, in which he only reached the finish in eighth place. In the US Olympic elimination for the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul , Doug Padilla failed.

At the World Indoor Championships in Budapest in 1989 , he missed the bronze medal in the final over 3000 meters by just 46 hundredths of a second. His last international appearance was at the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo . Here he finished 14th over 5000 meters in the final.

further activities

The athletics stayed Doug Padilla after his retirement from active competitive sports. He co-founded the Utah High School Meet of Champions for Track and Field and Cross Country and the Utah Collegiate Track Championships . Today he works as an athletics administrator for his old university.

Personal bests

• Hall
  • 3000 meters: 7: 50.93 min (March 5, 1989 in Budapest)
  • 2 miles: 8:15:02 min (February 16, 1990 in Inglewood , California )
• Stadion
  • 3000 meters: 7: 35.84 min (July 9, 1983 in Oslo )
  • 5000 meters: 13: 23.56 min (August 11, 1984 in Los Angeles, California)

Web links

• Doug Padilla in the database of World Athletics (English)