The greatest Olympic athlete from every U.S. state

Wyoming: Lance Deal

Sport: Hammer Throw

Olympics: Seoul 1988, Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996, and Sydney 2000

Any athlete who has made four straight Olympic teams deserves consideration on this list and Lance Deal fits in very nicely among his Olympic colleagues. A graduate of Montana State University, Deal almost never medaled in the hammer throw because he threw discus until his senior year. When he switched, that was the beginning of his Olympic career.

Even during his time spent competing at the Olympics, Deal was doing quite well in other competitions. He still holds the record for indoor and outdoor championships. He holds 12 in the indoor and nine in the outdoor to go along with his two gold medals in separate Pan American Games. Despite his success in many competitions, Deal could never quite pull off the elusive gold medal at any of the Olympics he went to. During the Olympic competition, the hammer throw was the best event for Deal. He did manage to win a silver medal in 1996 and maybe it was the home-field advantage since those Games were held in Atlanta. His best finish outside of the silver medal came in Barcelona in 1992 when he finished 7th overall.

Currently, Deal works at the University of Oregon as Director of Track & Field Venues and Program Support. Before that, he was the throws coach, meaning he coached student-athletes on how to throw the discus, javelin, hammer, and shot put. He was inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2014.

Honorable Mention: John Gordina, track and field in Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000, and Athens 2004