Doug Padilla

Douglas Padilla (* October 4, 1956 in Oakland ) is a retired American track and field athlete. His discipline were middle and long distance running.

Career

Doug Padilla attended Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, where he graduated in 1983. A self-professed Mormon took part in the U.S. students Championships, but could not win a title. However, he triumphed at the U.S. Indoor Championships 1981 on 2 miles.

After finishing his studies there Padilla focused on the long haul over 3000 and 5000 meters. Over 5000 meters, it was four times in a row ( 1983 to 1986 ) U.S. champion.

Internationally, he was known for his strong final sprint. In the first World Athletics Championships 1983 in Helsinki Padilla finished in the final ranking fifth in 1984, he qualified by winning the U.S. Olympic qualification for the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. In the final he was ranked 7th in 1985 he was able to win the World Cup over 5000 meters.

After his national title in 1986 Padilla came in the form of a crisis. But at least he was able to qualify for the 1st IAAF World Indoor Championships in 1987 in Indianapolis. He stepped over 3000 meters and finished fifth in the final ranking also for the IAAF World Championships 1987 in Rome he could qualify over 5000 meters, but failed during preprocessing, in which he reached the goal only in eighth place. In the U.S. Olympic qualification for the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul Doug Padilla failed.

At the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Budapest in 1989, he missed the final over 3000 meters at only 0.46 seconds the bronze medal. His last international appearance was the World Athletics Championships 1991 in Tokyo. Here he faced over 5000 m in the final 14th place

Other activities

The Athletics remained Doug Padilla received after his retirement from active competitive sports. He was co-founder of 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 its ancient university.

Personal Best

  • Hall 3000 meters: 7:50,93 minutes ( March 5, 1989 in Budapest)
  • 2 miles: 8:15,02 minutes (February 16, 1990 in Inglewood, California )
  • 3000 meters: 7:35,84 minutes (9 July 1983 in Oslo)
  • 5000 meters: 13:23,56 minutes (August 11, 1984 in Los Angeles, California )
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