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Mary Decker-Slaney Research Paper

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Mary Decker Mary Thereza Decker-Slaney was born on August 4th, 1958 in Flemington, New Jersey. When she was just 14 years old, she was known as “Little Mary Decker” for winning the 800m at a US-Soviet meet(The). At 15 years old she broke indoor records in the 1000 and 800 meter. After a few years off due to injuries, Decker came back in 1979 and won a gold medal at the Pan-American Games in the 1,500. Mary Decker has been one of the greatest American female middle distance and distance runner. She was voted “Track & Field News Female Athlete of the Year for 1983 and Sports Illustrated's Sportswoman of the Year”(Mary). In 1996, Decker-Slaney was tested positive for testosterone at the age of 37. She had qualified for the 5000m at the Atlanta Olympics and unfortunately was not allowed to compete due to testing positive on a drug test. From then on she was officially banned from competition in 1997. …show more content…

Testosterone belongs to a class of male hormones called androgens that is vital for sexual and reproductive development. The National Institutes of Health regards “testosterone as the most important male hormone”(Rettner). Although the primary role of testosterone directly relates to males, women also produce testosterone at lower levels. Women’s total levels are about a “tenth to a twentieth of men’s levels”(Rettner). According to the Mayo Clinic, this hormone plays a role in sex drive, sperm production, fat distribution, red cell production, and maintenance of muscle strength and

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