A four-time Olympian in the shot put and two-time World Championships finalist, Pagel won a full complement of Pan American Games medals, striking gold in 1987 at Indianapolis. She set eight American outdoor records in the shot, and her throw of 19.57m/64-2.5 in the second round at the 1988 Jesse Owens Classic in Columbus, Ohio, added more than seven inches to her own AR. Pagel would ultimately set an American record of 20.18m/66-2.5 at San Diego in June 1988, and that mark stood for 25 years.
Pagel works as a fitness director for the United States Navy at Seal Beach, California, and was a coach at several universities, most recently Fresno State.
Other historical performances of note from the May 4-10 period in USATF history:
- May 4 — John Powell World record in men’s discus, 69.08m/226-8 at Long Beach, California in 1975
- May 5 — Al Feuerbach World record in men’s shot put, 21.82m/71-7 at San Jose, California in 1973
- May 6 — Renaldo Nehemiah World record in men’s 110m hurdles, 13.00 at Westwood, California in 1979
- May 7 — Jackie Joyner-Kersee American record in women’s 100m hurdles, 12.70 at Modesto, California in 1988
- May 9 — Parry O’Brien World record in men’s shot put, 18.00m/59-0.75 at Fresno, California in 1953
- May 10 — Stacy Dragila American record in women’s pole vault, 4.45m/14-7.25 at Modesto, California in 1997
Now in its 19th year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week and features the athlete on USATF.org. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.
2020 Winners: January 9, Miranda Melville; January 16, Paul Perry; January 23, Natosha Rogers; January 30, Tyler Day, February 6, Devin Dixon; February 13, Elle Purrier; February 20, Tori Franklin; February 27, Sandi Morris; March 4, Abdi Abdirahman; March 12 Marielle Hall; March 19, Tim Tollefson; April 2, Louise Ritter; April 9, Francie Larrieu Smith; April 16, Erin Gilreath; April 23, Suzy Powell; April 30, Joe Dial; May 7, Dawn Ellerbe; May 14, Ramona Pagel.
We welcome your nominations!
To nominate an athlete for USATF Athlete of the Week, please send a detailed email about his/her performance to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..