Dave Steen

Dave Steen ( born November 14, 1959 in New Westminster, British Columbia; bourgeois David Lee Steen ) is a former Canadian track and field athlete, who in 1988 won the Olympic bronze medal in the decathlon.

Career

Steen comes from an athletic family, his father Don in 1956 was Canadian champion in the decathlon. His uncle David won 1966 and 1970 at the Commonwealth Games in the shot put. Steen 1977 he won his first decathlon. Since he hardly had opportunities for indoor training in the winter in British Columbia, he moved first to California, then to Toronto, where he coached several hours for the all-around daily. In 1982, he surpassed the 8,000 - point mark for the first Canadian. In the Commonwealth Games 1982 in Brisbane, he won the silver medal behind Daley Thompson. In 1983 he won both the Universiade and at the Pan American Games. After he was brought in 1980 by the Olympic boycott his first Olympic participation, four years later he finished in eighth place at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

In 1986, he was for the second time after 1982 Canadian decathlon champion. At the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh in 1986 he was again second to Daley Thompson, his deficit had amounted to 400 points in 1982, Steen was back this time almost 500 points. 1987 Steen was indeed Canadian champion in the pole vault, but was in the decathlon at the World Championships in Rome. In 1988, he improved the Canadian record at 8415 points, his eighth national record total. In the 1988 Olympics he was still only an outsider. After the first day of competition he was in eleventh place on the second day he took especially with 5.20 meters in the pole vault on. Nevertheless, he was before the final 1500 -meter run only in eighth place. While Christian Schenk was relatively safe from the GDR leadership, an exciting battle for the other medals developed. Schenk's compatriot Torsten Voss finally won silver Dave Steen ago, the Voss reached directly behind the goal. Daley Thompson had over twenty seconds behind the two and was in the final 22 points behind Steen.

The 1988 Olympics were overshadowed by the doping case of Canadian Ben Johnson, who should deal with the Canadian athletics and justice in the aftermath. Dave Steen, who ended his career after 18 ten fights with more than 8000 points, joined in the next few years in Canada as a committed fighter against doping. 1991 Steen was awarded the Order of Canada.

Dave Steen is 1,85 m tall and weighed about 80 kg competition times.

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