Kimberly Ann "Kim" Gallagher (June 11, 1964 – November 18, 2002) was an American middle-distance runner who won a silver and a bronze medal at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics.

Records

National high school records

*800 Meters – 2:00.07 *3200 Meter Relay – 8:58.43 (T. Pahutski, K. Baldwin, W. Crowell, K. Gallagher)

PIAA state records

*800 meters – 2:05.47 *1600 meters – 4:41.08 *1600-meter relay – 3:49.61 (T. Pahutski, K. Baldwin, C. Woldecke, K. Gallagher) *3200-meter relay – 8:58.43 (T. Pahutski, K. Baldwin, W. Crowell, K. Gallagher)

Accomplishments

Gallagher was a High School All-American at

Upper Dublin High School Upper Dublin High School (UDHS) is a four-year public high school located in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania. It is the sole high school in the Upper Dublin School District. UDHS is recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence by the ...

Penn Relays The Penn Relays (also Penn Relays Carnival) is the oldest and largest track and field competition in the United States, hosted annually since April 21, 1895 by the University of Pennsylvania at Franklin Field in Philadelphia. In 2012, there were ...

Champion, won twelve PIAA gold medals and was a

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

State Champion in

Track & 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 ...

and

cross-country Cross country or cross-country may refer to: Places * Cross Country, Baltimore, a neighborhood in northwest Baltimore, Maryland * Cross County Parkway, an east–west parkway in Westchester County, NY * Cross County Shopping Center, a mall in Yo ...

. She was inducted into the Pennsylvania Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1995 and into the

Hall of Fame in 1996. In 2005, Gallagher was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame at

as part of the inaugural class.

Personal life

Gallagher took up athletics following her brother Bart, who coached her in her early years. In 1983, she abandoned her studies at the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

because they interfered with her training. She married John Corcoran of

Oreland, Pennsylvania Oreland is a United States census-designated place (CDP) in Springfield and Upper Dublin townships, just outside the Chestnut Hill and Mount Airy areas of Philadelphia. Oreland has a ZIP code of 19075, and the population was 5,678 at the 2010 ...

, where the couple made their home.

Death

After the 1988 Olympics, Gallagher was diagnosed with

colon cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel mo ...

. She refused

chemotherapy Chemotherapy (often abbreviated to chemo and sometimes CTX or CTx) is a type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) as part of a standardized chemotherapy regimen. Chemotherap ...

and used vitamins, diet, and rest as a remedy, which initially appeared effective. But the cancer reemerged in 1994. In her last years, she used a wheelchair, and died from a stroke aged 38. She was survived by her mother Barbara, father John, husband John Corcoran, and 13-year-old daughter Jessica Smith.Ron Reid (November 20, 2002
Olympic runner Kim Gallagher dead of a stroke The Philadelphian, who won medals in the 1984 and 1988 Games, was 38
philly.com

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gallagher, Kim 1964 births 2002 deaths Track and field athletes from Philadelphia American female middle-distance runners Olympic silver medalists for the United States in track and field Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in track and field Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1988 Summer Olympics Deaths from colorectal cancer Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics People from Upper Dublin Township, Pennsylvania Sportspeople from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Deaths from cancer in Pennsylvania 20th-century African-American women 21st-century African-American women 20th-century African-American sportspeople