Alicia DeShasier
Encyclopedia
Alicia DeShasier is an American
track and field
athlete who competes in the javelin throw
. She won the gold medal in the event at the 2011 Pan American Games
.
Raised in Carrollton, Illinois
, DeShasier was a women's basketball
and softball
player at high school. She helped her school win consecutive state championships in 2001 and 2002. For her exploits in the two sports she was named as Illinois's female high school athlete of the year. She began a career in softball, but returned to her studies at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
. There she took up the javelin throw for the first time and her softball throwing skills translated well as she broke the school record at her first competitive meet.
DeShasier began to compete at senior national level in 2008. She threw a personal record of 53.74 m in Edwardsville that July and came close to that mark to take fifth place overall at the United States Olympic Trials
. She improved in both placing and performance at the 2009 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
, coming fourth with a new best mark of 55.08 m. She had a similar peak the following year, as her throw of 55.53 m at the 2010 nationals
brought her her first podium finish at the event, taking third place behind Kara Patterson
and Rachel Yurkovich. These finishing positions were repeated at the 2011 USA Outdoors
and although she did not have the qualifying standard for the 2011 World Championships in Athletics
, she was selected for the 2011 Pan American Games
instead.
In spite of a lack of experience of international competitions, she excelled at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara
, improving her best by over two meters with a throw of 58.01 m (190 ft 4 in) and defeating the more favored Yanet Cruz
to win the gold medal
in the event. Reflecting on her win she said: "I was an underdog but I prefer to be in that position...no eyes are on you".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
athlete who competes in the javelin throw
Javelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...
. She won the gold medal in the event at the 2011 Pan American Games
2011 Pan American Games
The 2011 Pan American Games, officially the XVI Pan American Games, was an international multi-sport event that was held from October 14–30, 2011 in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Some events were held in the nearby cities of Ciudad Guzmán, Puerto Vallarta, Lagos de Moreno and Tapalpa...
.
Raised in Carrollton, Illinois
Carrollton, Illinois
Carrollton is a city in Greene County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,605 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Greene County.-Geography:Carrollton is located at ....
, DeShasier was a women's basketball
Women's basketball
Women's basketball is one of the few women's sports that developed in tandem with its men's counterpart. It became popular, spreading from the east coast of the United States to the west coast , in large part via women's colleges...
and softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
player at high school. She helped her school win consecutive state championships in 2001 and 2002. For her exploits in the two sports she was named as Illinois's female high school athlete of the year. She began a career in softball, but returned to her studies at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, commonly abbreviated SIUE, is a four-year coed public university in Edwardsville, Illinois about from St. Louis, Missouri. SIUE was established in 1957 as an extension of Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and is the younger of the two largest...
. There she took up the javelin throw for the first time and her softball throwing skills translated well as she broke the school record at her first competitive meet.
DeShasier began to compete at senior national level in 2008. She threw a personal record of 53.74 m in Edwardsville that July and came close to that mark to take fifth place overall at the United States Olympic Trials
United States Olympic Trials (track and field)
The United States Olympic Trials for the sport of Track and Field is the quadrennial meet to select the United States representatives at the Olympic Games. Since 1992, the meet has also served as the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Because of the depth of competition in some events,...
. She improved in both placing and performance at the 2009 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
2009 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
The 2009 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships took place between June 25–28 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. The competition acted as a way of selecting the United States team for the 2009 World Championships in Athletics in Berlin later that year....
, coming fourth with a new best mark of 55.08 m. She had a similar peak the following year, as her throw of 55.53 m at the 2010 nationals
2010 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
The 2010 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships were held at Drake Stadium, Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa on June 23-27, 2010. In order to boost the visibility of this event, USATF sponsored a member appreciation tent at the event and promoted the entire week as "Membership appreciation...
brought her her first podium finish at the event, taking third place behind Kara Patterson
Kara Patterson
Kara Estelle Patterson is an American athlete who competes in the javelin throw. She is the American record holder in the javelin throw with a distance of 66.67 m.-Career:...
and Rachel Yurkovich. These finishing positions were repeated at the 2011 USA Outdoors
2011 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
The 2011 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships were held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. Organised by USA Track and Field, the four-day competition took place from June 23–26 and served as the national championships in track and field for the United States...
and although she did not have the qualifying standard for the 2011 World Championships in Athletics
2011 World Championships in Athletics
The 13th IAAF World Championships in Athletics was an international athletics competition that was held in Daegu, South Korea. It started on 27 August 2011 and finished on 4 September 2011....
, she was selected for the 2011 Pan American Games
Athletics at the 2011 Pan American Games
Athletics competitions at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara was held from October 23 to October 30 at the newly built Telmex Athletics Stadium. The racewalking and marathon events were held on the temporary Guadalajara Circuit and Route and the Pan American Marathon circuit respectively...
instead.
In spite of a lack of experience of international competitions, she excelled at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara
Guadalajara
Guadalajara may refer to:In Mexico:*Guadalajara, Jalisco, the capital of the state of Jalisco and second largest city in Mexico**Guadalajara Metropolitan Area*University of Guadalajara, a public university in Guadalajara, Jalisco...
, improving her best by over two meters with a throw of 58.01 m (190 ft 4 in) and defeating the more favored Yanet Cruz
Yanet Cruz
Yanet Cruz Cruz is a female javelin thrower from Cuba. She won the bronze medal at the 2005 World Youth Championships. She also competed at the 2008 Olympic Games without reaching the final round. His personal best throw is 60.84 metres, achieved in May 2008 in Uberlandia.-Achievements:-References:*...
to win the gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
in the event. Reflecting on her win she said: "I was an underdog but I prefer to be in that position...no eyes are on you".