Paul Thomas Deem (born August 16, 1957)) is a retired American track cyclist who set the 1974 national record for the 3 km Velodrome in Encino, California. Deem won the gold medal for the 4 km team pursuit in the 1975 Pan American in Mexico City. Deem finished the team pursuit in tenth place at the

1976 Summer Olympics Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phi ...

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

with

Leonard Nitz Leonard Harvey Nitz (born September 30, 1956) is a retired track cyclist from the United States. He won the silver medal in the 4000m team pursuit and bronze in the 4000m individual pursuit at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. ...

, James Ochowicz, Ralph Therrio. At the 1977 U.S. National Cycling Championships in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

, Deem won first place in the

individual time trial An individual time trial (ITT) is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock (in French: ''contre la montre'' – literally "against the watch", in Italian: ''tappa a cronometro'' "stopwatch stage"). There are also track-b ...

individual pursuit The individual pursuit is a track cycling event where two cyclists begin the race from a stationary position on opposite sides of the track. It is held at over for men and for women. The riders start at the same time and set off to complete the ...

team pursuit The team pursuit is a track cycling event similar to the individual pursuit, except that two teams, each of up to four riders, compete, starting on opposite sides of the velodrome. Race format Both men's and women's events are competed over ...

, and the 100 km

time trial In many racing sports, an athlete (or occasionally a team of athletes) will compete in a time trial against the clock to secure the fastest time. The format of a time trial can vary, but usually follow a format where each athlete or team sets off at ...

. No one since Deem has won four first-place positions at one cycling competition. Deem retired from competitive cycling in 1981 due to a progressive loss of muscle tissue caused by

Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease (CMT) is a hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy of the peripheral nervous system characterized by progressive loss of muscle tissue and touch sensation across various parts of the body. This disease is the mos ...

. However, Deem continues coaching cyclists in

Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. Deem is owner of CycleWerks in

Costa Mesa Costa may refer to: Biology * Rib (Latin: ''costa''), in vertebrate anatomy * Costa (botany), the central strand of a plant leaf or thallus * Costa (coral), a stony rib, part of the skeleton of a coral * Costa (entomology), the leading edge of t ...

and

San Clemente San Clemente (; Spanish for " St. Clement") is a city in Orange County, California. Located in the Orange Coast region of the South Coast of California, San Clemente's population was 64,293 in at the 2020 census. Situated roughly midway betwee ...

, California. On August 27, 2013, Deem's wife, Debra Healy Deem, was hit by a motor vehicle when she was cycling on Pacific Coast Highway in

Newport Beach Newport Beach is a coastal city in South Orange County, California. Newport Beach is known for swimming and sandy beaches. Newport Harbor once supported maritime industries however today, it is used mostly for recreation. Balboa Island, Newport ...

, California. She died from sustained injuries (blunt forced trauma to the brain) the following day.https://articles.latimes.com/2013/aug/28/local/la-me-ln-cyclist-hit-by-minivan-in-newport-beach-dies-of-wounds-20130828 LA Times

References

External links

Paul Deem: An Olympic Cyclist’s Triumph over Tragedy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Deem, Paul Living people 1957 births American male cyclists Olympic cyclists for the United States Cyclists at the 1976 Summer Olympics American track cyclists Pan American Games medalists in cycling Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States Medalists at the 1975 Pan American Games