Kate Schmidt

{{Short description|American javelin thrower (born 1953)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2018}}

{{Infobox sportsperson

| name = Kate Schmidt

| image = Kate Schmidt 1976.jpg

| caption = Schmidt in 1976

| birth_date = {{birth-date and age|December 29, 1953}}

| birth_place = Long Beach, California, U.S.

| height= 186 cm

| weight=80 kg

| sport = Athletics

| event= Javelin throw

| pb = 69.32 m (1977)[https://web.archive.org/web/20200417174125/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/sc/kate-schmidt-1.html Kate Schmidt]. sports-reference.com[http://trackfield.brinkster.net/Profile.asp?ID=2408&Gender=W Kathy Schimidt]. trackfield.brinkster.net

| show-medals = yes

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalCountry | the {{USA}} }}

{{MedalOlympics}}

{{MedalBronze | 1972 Munich | Javelin }}

{{MedalBronze | 1976 Montreal | Javelin }}

{{MedalCompetition|Universiade}}

{{MedalSilver | 1975 Rome | Javelin }}

}}

Kathryn Joan "Kate" Schmidt (born December 29, 1953) is an American former world record holder in the javelin throw. A native of California, graduate of Woodrow Wilson Classical High School,{{cite web |title=Wilson Olympians |url=https://lbwilson.schoolloop.com/wilsonolympians |website=lbwilson.schoolloop.com|date=June 17, 2023 }} and alumnus of UCLA, she won bronze medals at the 1972 and 1976 Olympics. She qualified for the 1980 Olympics, but did not compete due to the 1980 Summer Olympics boycott. She placed fourth at the 1984 Olympic Trials.

From 1972 to 1977, Schmidt won seven national titles. She set a new world record of {{T&Fcalc|69.32}} in Fürth, Germany. Her throw was almost 30 feet longer than the previous American record of {{convert|198|ft|8|in}} set by Barbara Friedrich in 1967. Schmidt holds twelve of the top 20 spots of the farthest throws ever by an American. She held the American record until the women's javelin was redesigned in 1999, resetting the records.

Schmidt is a member of the USATF National Track and Field Hall of Fame (1994),[http://www.usatf.org/HallOfFame/TF/showBio.asp?HOFIDs=144 Kate (Kate the Great) Schmidt]. USATF Hall of Fame the National Throws Coaches Hall of Fame, the CSULB Hall of Fame, the LBCC HAll of Fame, and the Woodrow Wilson High School Hall of Fame (Long Beach, CA).

Schmidt owns HomeBodies, a mobile fitness and rehab business, and was the men's and women's throwing coach for Occidental College in Northern Los Angeles for a while.{{cite web|url=http://www.oxyathletics.com/sports/tf/coaches/KateSchmidt |title=Kate Schmidt Occidental College Javelin Coach |access-date=September 15, 2016|publisher=oxyathletics.com}} Schmidt is also an abstract artist with works on display with the Art of the Olympians (AOTO) organization.{{cite web |title=Art of the Olympians – Be the best you can be |url=http://artoftheolympians.org/ |website=artoftheolympians.org |access-date=December 23, 2015}}

1996, Kate Schmidt (age 42) won the javelin at the Masters National Outdoor Track and Field Championship, Spokane, WA.1996 Meet Results. [http://www.mastershistory.org/Outdoor/1996-Outdoor.pdf] Retrieved Mar 30, 2021