Lori Norwood (born July 30, 1964) is a retired

modern pentathlete The modern pentathlon is an Olympic sport consisting of fencing (one-touch épée), freestyle swimming, equestrian show jumping, pistol shooting, and cross country running. The event is inspired by the traditional pentathlon held during the anc ...

turned sculptor. Norwood was the first U.S. woman to win a modern pentathlon world title when she won gold at the 1989

World Modern Pentathlon Championships The UIPM Senior World Championships is an annual global international competition in modern pentathlon. It was first held in 1949 under the organization of the International Modern Pentathlon Union (UIPM). Editions Note: The years in which cham ...

. She won her medal upon returning to competition from a -year absence from the sport. During her career, she was named Amateur of the Year in 1990 by

Women's Sports Foundation The Women's Sports Foundation (WSF) is a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit charity focused on female involvement in sports. Founded in 1974 by tennis player Billie Jean King and initially supported by Olympic athletes Donna de Varona and Suzy Chaffe ...

. After her retirement, Norwood became a sculptor and was inducted into the San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.

Early life and education

On July 30, 1964, Norwood was born in

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

and raised as a

military brat A military brat ( colloquial or military slang) is a child of serving or retired military personnel. Military brats are associated with a unique subcultureDavid C. Pollock, Ruth E. van Reken. ''Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds'', Rev ...

. As a child, she lived in various parts of the world including

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

and

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

. She began her modern pentathlon career during her teens after a friend recommended the sport based on Norwood's previous experience with shooting and horseback riding. For her post-secondary education, Norwood attended the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

in the early 1980s and competed in

cross-country running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open coun ...

. She later went back to the Texan university to complete a Bachelor of Fine Arts during the late 1980s.

Career

Norwood was banned from competition after testing positive for Gamma-Butyrolactone at the 1986

. During her two and a half year ban, Norwoood resumed her post-secondary studies and returned to competition in 1989. Upon her return, she won back to back medals at the World Modern Pentathlon Championships with a gold in 1989 and a silver in 1990. With her gold medal in 1989, Norwood became the first woman of the United States to win a world title in modern penthatlon. Outside of the World Championships, Norwood won a bronze at the

1986 Goodwill Games The 1986 Goodwill Games was the inaugural edition of the international multi-sport event created by Ted Turner, which was held from 5 – 20 July 1986. The main stadium was the Central Lenin Stadium in Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union. The Ga ...

and a silver at the 1989 United States National Pentathlon Championships. She won additional gold medals at the

1990 Goodwill Games The 1990 Goodwill Games was the second edition of the international multi-sport event created by Ted Turner, which was held between July 20 and August 5, 1990. Following an inaugural edition in Moscow, the second games took place in Seattle, Unite ...

and U.S. National Pentathlon Championships. Her total of 5,604 points was a world record at the 1990 National Championships. After her retirement from modern pentathlon in 1991, Norwood became a sculptor. She completed projects for cities in the

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...

before going to Lawrence, Kansas in 2007. Among her works is a sculpture she made for the 2012 Summer Olympics titled ''The All-Around Athlete''. Apart from sculpting, Norwood became a marathon runner in the early 1990s and won multiple races including the 1992

Austin Marathon The Austin Marathon (also known as Ascension Seton Austin Marathon presented by Under Armour for sponsorship reasons) is an annual marathon held in Austin, Texas, since 1992. The race weekend also features a half marathon and a 5K run with a ...

Awards and honors

Norwood was named Amateur of the Year in 1990 by the

. In 2015, she was inducted into the San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame.

Personal life

Norwood is married and has two children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Norwood, Lori 1964 births American female modern pentathletes Goodwill Games medalists in modern pentathlon World Modern Pentathlon Championships medalists Living people American women sculptors American female marathon runners 21st-century American women artists Competitors at the 1986 Goodwill Games Competitors at the 1990 Goodwill Games