Duncan Fuller Atwood (born October 11, 1955, in

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) is a former American

athlete An athlete is most commonly a person who competes in one or more sports involving physical strength, speed, power, or endurance. Sometimes, the word "athlete" is used to refer specifically to sport of athletics competitors, i.e. including track ...

who twice won a

gold medal A gold medal is a 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. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have b ...

in the

javelin throw The javelin throw is a track and field event where the javelin, a spear about in length, is thrown as far as possible. The javelin thrower gains momentum by running within a predetermined area. Javelin throwing is an event of both the men's de ...

at the

Pan American Games The Pan American Games, known as the Pan Am Games, is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas. It features thousands of athletes participating in competitions to win different summer sports. It is held among athletes from nations of th ...

: in 1979 and 1987. Atwood set his personal best (78.92 meters) on August 29, 1987, in

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, during the qualification round at the

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Career

Atwood was an

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n thrower for the Washington Huskies track and field team, finishing 3rd in the javelin at the 1978 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Atwood qualified for the 1980 U.S. Olympic team but did not compete due to the U.S. Olympic Committee's boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Russia. He was one of 461 athletes to receive a

Congressional Gold Medal The Congressional Gold Medal is the oldest and highest civilian award in the United States, alongside the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It is bestowed by vote of the United States Congress, signed into law by the president. The Gold Medal exp ...

instead. He competed for America at the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the ...

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, finishing in 11th place.

Doping

Atwood was one of the 12 American track and field athletes who abruptly left Caracas after it became known that there would be stricter and improved drug testing at the

1983 Pan American Games The 1983 Pan American Games, officially known as the IX Pan American Games () and commonly known as Caracas 1983, were held in Caracas, Venezuela from August 14 to August 29, 1983. The games were the first major international competition to inclu ...

. In August 1985 Atwood tested positive for a prohibited stimulant at a competition in Koblenz, Germany. He was subsequently banned for life by

IAAF World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation and International Association of Athletics Federations and formerly abbreviated as the IAAF, is the international sports governing body, governing body for the sport ...

for the anti-doping rule violation.IAAF may lift two bans, but others ousted
Eugene Register-Guard, 22 February 1986 At the time IAAF banned athletes for life for the first doping offence, but the athlete could apply to have the ban reduced, something IAAF would routinely grant. Atwood got his ban reduced and was able to compete again in 1987.

Achievements

Seasonal bests by year

*1979 - 84.16 m *1987 - 78.92''

References

External links

* * 1955 births Living people American male javelin throwers Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics Olympic track and field athletes for the United States Doping cases in athletics American sportspeople in doping cases Track and field athletes from Seattle World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States Congressional Gold Medal recipients Athletes (track and field) at the 1979 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1987 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1979 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1987 Pan American Games Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in athletics (track and field) 20th-century American sportsmen Washington Huskies men's track and field athletes {{US-javelinthrow-athletics-bio-stub