INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, 3 December 2003 — World champion decathlete Tom Pappas and distance runner Deena Drossin Kastor were named winners of the Jesse Owens Award here on Monday by USA Track and Field as the year’s top American athletes.
Pappas captured the World Indoors heptathlon title and the decathlon crown at the World Championships in Paris. Drossin Kastor set an American marathon best at London and was second at 8km at the World Cross Country Championships.
Both winners figure to contend for gold medals at the Athens Olympics next August after claiming their awards as top US athletes for 2003.
“It’s quite an honor,” Pappas said. “It definitely means a lot to me. I noticed no decathlete has ever won the award before so that’s nice.”
Pappas underwent left shoulder surgery two months ago to repair damaged cartilage.
“I’m pretty much back to all the normal lifts. It’s pretty much back to normal,” he said. “It won’t change the way I train or compete.”
Pappas, whose Greek heritage has brought him a devoted following in the Olympic host nation, plans to focus his 2004 plans around the Athens Games but will try to defend his World Indoors heptathlon crown as well.
“That’s definitely a meet that gets me well for the outdoor season,” he said.
Pappas was the first American since Dan O’Brien in 1993 to win the world heptathlon crown and the first since O’Brien in 1995 to capture the world decathlon title. He also won his third US decathlon crown.
Other men’s nominees were John Capel, Justin Gatlin, Allen Johnson, Dwight Phillips and Tyree Washington.
Drossin Kastor, who married Andrew Kastor two months ago, was aided by doping troubles that hit two major rivals, Kelli White and Regina Jacobs.
White won two sprint titles at the world meet but tested positive for modafinil.
Jacobs, 40, became the first woman to break the four minute barrier indoors when she ran 3:59.98 for the world 1,500m title in England. She is among four Americans who reportedly tested positive for the steroid tetrahydrogestrinone (THG).
Drossin Kastor set an American marathon best of 2 hrs 21 mins 16 secs in finishing third at the London Marathon in March, five seconds ahead of Joan Benoit Samuelson’s 1984 mark.
Drossin Kastor was second at 8km at the World Cross Country Championships in March. She also won her sixth US 8km cross country crown in March and third US 10,000m track title in June.
“It was an incredible year,” Drossin Kastor said. “I was able to achieve some of my goals. What keeps me coming back year after year is my goals keep elevating to new horizons. Those keep me hungry for 2004.”
Drossin Kastor plans to compete for a US Olympic marathon berth but also plans to run the 5,000m and 10,000m at July’s US Olympic trials.
“I will definitely go in the marathon if I make the top three at the trials,” she said. “It’s definitely my strongest chance for earning a medal.”
The Owens awards will be presented Friday at USA Track and Field’s annual meeting in Greensboro, North Carolina. The organization will consider imposing a lifetime ban for steroid users at the gathering.
