Ria Stalman

Maria Geertruida "Ria" Stalman (; born 11 December 1951) is a Dutch retired discus thrower and shot putter.

In discus throw, her personal best is 71.22 m from 1984, a Dutch record that was later annulled, and in shot put, her personal best is 18.02 m from 1984, also a Dutch record. She won the gold medal in discus throw at the 1984 Summer Olympics. She also has 15 national titles in discus throw and shot put.

In 2016, she admitted to the use of doping in the 1980s. In response, the Royal Dutch Athletics Federation annulled her unsurpassed national record in discus throw set in that period.

Career
From 1971 to 1983, she won 22 medals in the discus throw and shot put events at the Dutch Championships, including 15 gold medals.

Stalman went to Arizona State University, where she was on the track and field team. In June 1982, she won a gold medal for her discus throw of 62.13 m in the 1982 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

In September 1982, she became 12th in the discus throw event during the 1982 European Athletics Championships in Athens, Greece. In August 1983, she was 7th in the discus throw event during the 1983 World Championships in Athletics in Helsinki, Finland.

In June 1984, she won both a gold medal in the shot put event for her 18.02 m result and in the discus throw event for her 67.59 m result in the 1984 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. In July 1984, she achieved her all-time best discus throw of 71.22 m in Walnut, CA, a Dutch record that remained on the books until it was annulled in 2016.

At the Los Angeles Summer Olympics in August 1984, she won the gold medal for her 65.36 m in the discus throw event. The Royal Dutch Athletics Federation gave her the Membership of Merit<ref>Henk van der Sluis, "Ria's goud loont nauwelijks" (in Dutch), Het Parool, 3 September 1984. Retrieved 13 August 2023.</ref> and the NOC*NSF gave her the Dutch Sportswoman of the Year award that year. She was knighted in the Order of Orange-Nassau the following year.

She retired shortly after the Olympics to work as a journalist for Algemeen Dagblad, Sport International, and Atletiek Wereld'' and as an athletics commentator for Eurosport and RTL 4.

Doping use 
In March 1992, Stalman was accused by her former training partner and former roommate Jennifer Smit of using doping during their time in the United States and of being caught at the border trying to import a large number of Winstrol tablets from Mexico. In a response, Stalman denied that she had used doping and didn't want to discuss importing tablets at the advice of an attorney she had consulted. The Royal Dutch Athletics Federation stated that they didn't believe the accusations, that also implicated one of their officials.

In January 2016, Stalman admitted in a TV interview that she had been using anabolic steroids during the last 2.5 years of her career, which includes the period when she won her Olympic gold medal and when she set her national discus throw record. The Doping Authority Netherlands indicated that after more than ten years a doping offense is too old to prosecute, so her results would remain unchanged. However, the Royal Dutch Athletics Federation took away her Membership of Merit and annulled her national record in response.

Achievements

Personal bests
 Discus throw: 71.22 m  (Walnut, CA, 1984)
 Shot put: 18.02 m  (San Jose, CA, 1984)

International competitions

References

External links

1951 births
Arizona State Sun Devils women's track and field athletes
Arizona State University alumni
Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics
Doping cases in athletics
Dutch female discus throwers
Dutch female shot putters
Dutch sportspeople in doping cases
Knights of the Order of Orange-Nassau
Living people
Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics
Olympic athletes for the Netherlands
Olympic gold medalists for the Netherlands
Olympic gold medalists in athletics (track and field)
Sportspeople from Delft
World Athletics Championships athletes for the Netherlands