Jane Wardell Frederick (born April 7, 1952) is a former heptathlete from the United States. She set the first official world record in the women's heptathlon, gaining a total number of 6104 points on April 24, 1981 at a meet in Walnut, California. Frederick won the inaugural Mt. SAC heptathlon in 1981. She broke the American record in the heptathlon six times, and won nine national championships in the pentathlon and heptathlon. Frederick also competed at the 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics. Considered one of the top U.S. women's combined-events athletes in history, Frederick won the U.S. heptathlon national title a record nine times. A two-time Olympian in the pentathlon and heptathlon, Frederick's best finish was seventh at the 1976 Games in Montreal. She competed in two World Outdoor Championships as a member of Team USA, winning the bronze medal at the 1987 World Championships in Rome, Italy. Frederick set the U.S. heptathlon record on five occasions and was the U.S. pentathlon record holder five times. Frederick's heptathon personal best of 6,803 points places her as the world all-time #14 best performer. Frederick was ranked top ten among world combined eventers by Track & Field News 11 times (#1 in 1985). In addition to her prowess in the heptathlon, Frederick won the U.S. outdoor 100m hurdles titles in 1975 and 1976, and the U.S. indoor hurdles crown in 1977.
References
| Records | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Incumbent |
Women's Heptathlon World Record Holder April 24, 1981 — May 5, 1981 |
Succeeded by Nadezhda Vinogradova |
