■ Saturday is the last Pre
Classic for a man who has
resurrected an art that
Americans can be proud of
By Jeff Smith
Oregon Daily Emerald
The college athlete approached the re
spected coach and presented him with a
polite request.
“If I came here to live, would you coach
me?” the soon-to-be college graduate asked.
The thought that somebody would actu
ally want to throw the hammer impressed
and somewhat amazed the coach.
“If a guy is willing to pack his bag and
travel [to Eugene], then you certainly can’t
turn that down,” the coach said. “Especial
ly if he wanted to throw.”
With that, the deal was complete.
Since that day back in 1984, the college
student has grown up into the top hammer
thrower in the nation — not to mention a
silver medalist in the ‘96 Olympics.
And the coach has further gained respect
as an international expert on the hammer.
Lance Deal and Stewart Togher. Athlete
and coach.
Two men who through their joint effort
have helped make Americans competitive
on the collegiate, national and international
spectrums in an event that is dominated by
foreigners, particularly Europeans.
Under Togher’s guidance, Deal has mas
tered the forms and methods of the ham
mer throw, which Togher says is so much
more crucial than just using pure
strength.
“I don’t care about how far he throws,”
said the Edinburgh, Scotland, native who
came to America in October 1983 to work
with former Oregon men’s track coach Bill
Dellinger. “I’m much more interested in the
mastery of technique.”
Deal’s near perfect throws will be on dis
play Saturday morning at 11:15 a.m. in the
26th annual Prefontaine Classic Grand Prix
at Hayward Field.
The Pre event is always special for the
Eugene resident, but this one carries extra
significance for obvious reasons.
It will be his last.
Not only will his Saturday morning
throws mark his final Pre Classic, but the
competition will also signify the end to his
days on the legendary Hayward Field.
“I’m trying not to think too much about
that,” said Deal, who has said he will retire
in September, after the 2000 Olympics in
Sydney, Australia. “I still have a lot of work
to do this year. But I admit, it will be tough
to leave.”
Deal will certainly end his Hayward days
against competition worthy of the
Olympics themselves. In fact, the hammer
thrower who beat Deal by a mere four inch
es at the 1996 Games in Atlanta will be on
hand. Hungarian Balazs Kiss will be one of
the favorites in a field that will feature four
of the top 10 hammer throwers in the
world.
“Usually a lot of the foreigners don’t like
to travel into the U.S., but they do for the
Pre because the competition is so great,”
Deal said. “It’s really a credit to Hayward
Field and the city of Eugene.”
And perhaps also to a certain thrower
and his coach for raising the bar of hammer
throwing in America.
• ••
Throwing the hammer in the Olympics
wasn’t quite the childhood dream that mo
tivated Deal while growing up in Casper,
Wyo.
“Oh, you know, like all American boys I
had the dream of being a football player,”
said Deal, who was an All-American line
backer/offensive tackle in high school. “But
then when I graduated I turned my focus to
the discus.”
He attended Montana State at Bozeman
and appeared to be on his way to a lengthy
discus career. He captured the USA Junior
Title and won the gold at the
Pan-American junior Champi
onships.
But in the same summer as
his triumphs something hap
pened that changed his life
forever.
One day, while he was
working at a hardware store,
something unusual caught his
eye.
“There was this hammer
hanging on the wall and I was
interested in it,” Deal said. “I
started playing around with it
and ended up buying it for six
bucks.”
He immediately contacted
1972 Olympian Tom Gage,
who gave him his first point
ers. Deal continued to throw
the discus, but was realizing
that his passion was else
where. Once he graduated
from college, he decided to
dedicate his time to the ham
mer.
It would be the start of a
beautiful friendship.
Kevin McMahon was nerv
ous.
He was about to dial the
phone number of Lance Deal
and wasn’t quite sure how he
would be received.
After all, why would the
country’s top hammer thrower
want to waste his time talking
to a measly college student
from Georgetown?
“I was getting so addicted to
hammer throwing that I want
ed to know all about.it,” said
mm—mm
Emerald archive
A younger-looking Lance Deal competes in the 1994 Pre Classic.
McMahon, who graduated
from college in 1995. “I knew
it might be a long shot, but I
just had to give Lance a call.”
Much to his surprise, Deal
was more than willing to an
swer any questions, just as
Gage had doue for him years
' before.
McMahon wasn’t hesitant
and began asking him ques
tions that ranged from, “How
many hours of training do you
do in a day?” to “What do you
eat on the day of an event?”
“These were all things that I
was dying to know,” McMa
hon said. “And Lance was
great about it. For me, it was
like being a football player
and just calling up Joe Mon
tana.”
Deal’s tips have obviously
been used wisely. McMahon
is now one of the top throwers
in the country.
The two have been compet
ing against each other for the
last four years, and share a
common respect for one an
other.
I tell ya, he’s fun to watch,”
Deal said. “He’s getting over
looked this year because of all of the suc
cess of the foreigners, but he can perform.
He’s small for the hammer and is just a
whirling dervish.”
“Lance is a great role model,” McMahon
said. “It’s so admirable the way he handles
himself. I never feel like I’m throwing
against him, but rather I’m throwing with
him. And that’s a big compliment to the
type of person he is.”
McMahon goes on to mention how he’ll
always hear Deal cheering on the other ath
letes that are in his same event.
“You don’t know how rare that is these
days,” McMahon said.
The youngster may have the utmost re
spect for his elder, but that doesn’t mean
he’s shy when it comes to cracking a joke
about him.
McMahon busts out in a hearty laugh
when asked what separates Deal from the
rest of the throwers.
“His enormously large quads!” McMa
hon exclaimed. “He’ll get a kick out of that
one. He’s got some of the biggest legs
you’ll ever see. Sometimes I call him
‘Quadzilla.’”
The laughter finally comes to a halt, and
deep admiration is heard through his
voice.
“It’s just his system that he has for him
self,” McMahon said. “He’s got a strong
mind, a strong body and a great support
group. It all fits.
“I can’t imagine the world of hammer
throwing without Lance Deal in it.”
As Nancy Deal talks of her husband’s
courageous career, a loud grunt is heard in
the background.
“What was that?” she is asked.
“Oh, that’s just Lance,” Nancy replies.
“His hip is bothering him.”
Indeed, there are signs that maybe a re
tirement from the sport would do some
good to the 38-year-old’s body. In 1997 he
was forced to miss the entire season due to
a bulging disc in his back, and the very next
year he suffered a broken right foot.
There were thoughts that maybe that was
the end. But Deal bounced back and had a
strong 1999 season in preparation for the
big Olympic year.
Still, Nancy admits, there probably is a
spot deep down in her partner’s heart that
is looking forward to resting.
“I think we’re both looking forward to
the morning where he wakes up and some-,
—_
m
Emerald archive
Lance Deal took first place at last year’s U.S.A. Track and Field Cham
pionships at Hayward Field with a throw of 263 feet, 7 inches.
thing’s not hurting,” she said.
Life without the hammer would certain
ly be an adjustment for Deal, but Nancy
also points out that it would be a huge
change in her life as well.
“I’ve never known him when he wasn’t
an athlete,” she said. “But there’s still so
many great things ahead. But I do tease him
that now he’s going to have to find a ‘real
job’ where he works 9-to-5.”
• ••
It all came down to the final throw on
that fateful day in Atlanta in 1996. Deal was
representing his country in its own back
yard during the Olympics.
He nearly didn’t advance past the first
three rounds. Luckily, he was the benefici
ary of a rule book consultation and was al
lowed to continue. •
He would have three throws, and the
first two did no damage. But on his final
one he unleashed the hammer 266 feet, 2
inches to capture the silver.
One would imagine the nerves would be
at full throttle with the entire country
watching, but Deal had other things on his
mind.
“I was a little less worried about the na
tion than I was my wife,” Deal said be
tween chuckles. “My goal for this year is
simply to throw far early and avoid the sus
pense.”
Not making matters any easier will be the
pressure of performing in front his two
biggest fans: Nancy and their 7-year-old
daughter Sarah, who will both be in Syd
ney.
Coach Togher looks back fondly at the
path he and his star pupil have taken to get
to where they are today.
“When I came into the country there was
not a single American in the top 50 in the
event,” Togher said. “My challenge was to
produce someone to bring the sport back to
its feet, and Lance was that guy.
“He stayed the course, and it took years
and years of hard work and dedication. But
here he is.”
Yes, he is. On the verge of retirement, but
also on fhe verge of perhaps an Olympic
gold medal.
“Instead of looking back right now, I’m
deciding to look forward,” Deal said.
And instead of sleeping in on Saturday,
it would be wise to make your way to the
epic hammer ring on the south side of
Hayward Field by 11:15 a.m. so you can
have your chance,to say goodbye to a.leg