Bobby Coffman (born February 17, 1951) is an American former
track and field
Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...
athlete who competed in the
decathlon
The decathlon is a combined event in Athletics (sport), athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word "decathlon" was formed, in analogy to the word "pentathlon", from Greek language, Greek δέκα (''déka'', meaning "ten") and ...
. He set his personal record of 8274 points in
Quebec City
Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...
on August 12, 1979.
[Bobby Coffman]
Track and Field Brinkster. Retrieved on 2016-02-11.
Coffman competed at two major international events and won gold in both. He first took the decathlon title at the
1979 Pan American Games
The 1979 Pan American Games (Spanish: ''Juegos Panamericanos de 1979''), officially the VIII Pan American Games were a multi-sport event governed by the Panam Sports Organization, and were held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from July 1 to July 15 ...
with a championship record total of 8078 points. The following year he qualified for the 1980 U.S. Olympic team but was unable to compete due to the
1980 Summer Olympics boycott
The 1980 Summer Olympics boycott was one part of a number of actions initiated by the United States to protest against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The Soviet Union, which hosted the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, and its allies later ...
. He did however receive one of 461
Congressional Gold Medals created especially for the spurned athletes. and was the winner of the Olympic boycott games known as the
Liberty Bell Classic with a score of 8058 points.
Olympic Boycott Games
GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-02-11.
At national level he won at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in both 1979 and 1980, having placed fifth earlier in his career in 1975.[
]
International competitions
National titles
* USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
**Decathlon: 1979, 1980[USA Championships]
GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-02-11.
See also
* List of decathlon national champions (men)
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Coffman, Bobby
Living people
1951 births
American male decathletes
Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States
Pan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field)
Athletes (track and field) at the 1979 Pan American Games
Medalists at the 1979 Pan American Games