Leslie Jean Deniz (born May 25, 1962) is an American athlete who competed mainly in the women's discus throw event. Deniz was born in

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

, and grew up in

Gridley, California Gridley is a city in Butte County, California, United States, south of Chico, California and north of Sacramento, California. The 2019 State of California population estimate was 7,224. California State Route 99 runs through Gridley and Inters ...

, where she attended area schools, graduating from Gridley High School in 1980. While there she twice improved the NFHS national high school record in the

discus throw The discus throw (), also known as disc throw, is a track and field event in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than their competitors. It is an ancient sport, as demonstrated by th ...

to 172' 11" which lasted for two years. Deniz was adopted into a long time dairy farming family. She competed for the United States in the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also 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 sec ...

held in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

in the Discus where she won the Silver medal. Leslie attended Arizona State University in Tempe after graduating from Gridley High School in 1980. Her teammate at ASU,

Ria Stalman Maria "Ria" Geertruida Stalman (born 11 December 1951) is a retired discus thrower and shot putter from the Netherlands. Biography She won the gold medal in the discus throw at the 1984 Summer Olympics, which earned her the Dutch Sportswoman ...

, won the 1984 Olympic gold medal in a tight competition. Deniz completed her BA and MA and worked as a police officer and administrator with the Yuba City Police Department. Deniz worked four years as the chief of police at

California State University, Chico California State University, Chico, or commonly, Chico State, is a public university in Chico, California. Founded in 1887, it is the second oldest campus in the California State University system. As of the fall 2020 semester, the university h ...

until late September 2006.http://www.chicoer.com/newshome/ci_4365408 Deniz continues her committed work in law enforcement. She is currently a professor of criminal justice studies at

Woodland Community College Woodland Community College is a public community college in Woodland, California. It is a part of the Yuba Community College District and is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges. History In the fall of 1975, ...

References

* 1962 births Living people Sportspeople from Chico, California Track and field athletes from California American female discus throwers Olympic silver medalists for the United States in track and field Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics Arizona State Sun Devils women's track and field athletes Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics {{US-athletics-Olympic-medalist-stub