Kate Schmidt

Kate Schmidt carries the weight of an era for me. A former world-record holder in the javelin, she took bronze at both the 1972 and 1976 Olympics, launching the spear from a commanding 186 cm frame. What lingers is the heartbreak of 1980: she qualified, then never got to throw because of the boycott, a stark reminder of how politics can rob athletes of their moment. A Long Beach native and UCLA alumna, she came up through a classic American track pipeline. Records get broken, but the pride of competing in that golden age endures, and she has my quiet applause.

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, 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.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Name (English)

Kate Schmidt

Name (Japanese)

ケイト・シュミット

Reading

けいと・しゅみっと

Born

December 29, 1953 (age 72)

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Capricorn / Snake

Origin

Long Beach, California, United States

Blood type

Private

Height

186 cm

Agency

Private

Occupation

javelin thrower

Elementary school

Private

Junior high

Private

High school

Woodrow Wilson Classical High School

University

University of California, Los Angeles

Spouse

Private

Children

Private

Parents

Private

Siblings

Private

Motto

Private

• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%B1%E3%82%A4%E3%83%88%E3%83%BB%E3%82%B7%E3%83%A5%E3%83%9F%E3%83%83%E3%83%88

Tags

• California
• javelin thrower

Last updated

2026-06-02

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.