Deborah Dawn "Debbie" Scott-Bowker (born 16 December 1958) is a Canadian former middle- and long-distance runner. A three-time Olympian for Canada (1984, 1988 and 1992), she reached the 1500 m final in 1984, and both the 1500 m and 3000 m finals in 1988. She was also a three-time World Championship finalist, reaching the 1500 m and 3000 m finals in 1987, and the 1500 m final in 1991.

Her greatest international performance came at the 1985 IAAF World Indoor Games (the precursor of the IAAF World Indoor Championships), where she took the gold medal in the 3000 metres. Scott-Bowker competed at four Commonwealth Games (1978–90), winning silver medals at the 1986 Commonwealth Games in the 1500 m and 3000 m, and another silver in the 1500 m at the 1987 Pan American Games. She also competed for Canada at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships on five occasions – her best placing at that event was eighth in 1981.

Career

Early career and college Born in Victoria, British Columbia,Debbie Scott-Bowker. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-10-16. she attended Claremont Secondary School and was interested in sports, taking part in field hockey and volleyball while there. During her training for these sports, her talent for running was recognised by her teacher and he encouraged her to become part of the school's cross country running team.Debbie Scott-Bowker (2001) . Great Victoria Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved on 2014-10-16.Kelsall, Christopher (2013-06-15). Debbie Scott (Bowker) – Victoria Track Classic . Athletics Illustrated. Retrieved on 2014-10-16. She went on to attend the University of Victoria and competed athletically for the Victoria Vikes collegiate team in 1976 and from 1978 to 1981.Hall of Fame Debbie Scott. Go Vikes Go. Retrieved on 2014-10-16. She won her first title at the British Columbia Cross Country Championships in 1977 and the Scott went on to win at that competition twice more during her period at college. British Columbia Cross Country Championships. Association of Road Racing Statisticians (2013-12-30). Retrieved on 2014-10-16. She established herself among her nation's best distance runners in 1978 by setting a Canadian record over the 5000 metres, running a time of 16:29.6 minutes.Canadian Track Record Progression. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 2014-10-16.

Her first major international event was the 1978 Commonwealth Games and she ran in the 1500 metres (being eliminated in the heats) and the 3000 metres (coming ninth in the final).Commonwealth Games Debbie Scott-Bowker . Commonwealth Games Federation. Retrieved on 2014-10-16. Her next major outing came at the 1979 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, where she led the Canadian women's team with a 13th-place finish.Debbie Scott-Bowker. IAAF. Retrieved on 2014-10-16. She was selected for the 1980 Moscow Olympics, but a Canadian boycott of the event meant she did not compete. The 1981 World Cross Country was held over a shorter distance and she gave a better performance, placing eighth and leading her national team to fifth in the rankings.Magnusson, Tomas (2007-02-07). . AthChamps. Retrieved on 2014-10-16. She won her first national title at the Canadian Track and Field Championships that year, winning the 1500 m race, and would go on to take five straight titles up to 1985.Canadian Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2014-10-16. She also began competing on the international circuit and ran a best of 4:33.02 minutes for the mile run at the DN Galan in Sweden, taking third place.Debbie Bowker. Tilastopaja. Retrieved on 2014-10-16.

National records and Olympic debut In 1982 she won the Fifth Avenue Mile in a course record of 4:23.96 minutes, becoming the first non-American winner.Winners of the Continental Airlines Fifth Avenue Mile. RunnersWeb. Retrieved on 2014-10-16. She broke two Canadian records on the track that summer. First came the 5000 m record with a time of 15:48.99 minutes at the Prefontaine Classic – a near ten second improvement on Geri Fitch's time set the previous year. Then, in August in Koblenz, she broke Thelma Wright's 3000 m national record from 1975 with a run of 8:48.85 minutes. Scott-Bowker's first and only win over 3000 m at the national championships also came that year. Her major competition of the year was the 1982 Commonwealth Games and she had similar results as she had four years previously, losing in the 1500 m heats and reaching the 3000 m final.

After a quiet 1983, she re-emerged at the 1984 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, but her 64th-place finish was below her usual standard, while Lynn Williams led the Canadian team.Magnussen, Tomas (2007-09-08). . AthChamps. Retrieved on 2014-10-16. Her Olympic debut followed at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, where she entered the 1500 m. After running a personal best of 4:09.16 minutes in the heats she placed tenth in the final.

International medals Scott-Bowker had her first major success at the 1985 IAAF World Indoor Games. The newly inaugurated indoor track and field championship saw her defeat reigning European indoor champion Agnese Possamai to become the first 3000 m women's champion.World Indoor Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2014-10-16. Her winning time of 9:04.99 minutes was also a Canadian indoor record, easily bettering the previous mark of Nancy Tinari. She improved her personal best for the outdoor event at the DN Galan, running 8:49.80 minutes. On grass, Scott-Bowker had a good showing at the 1985 IAAF World Cross Country Championships – in eleventh place she led the Canadians to fifth place in the team race.. AthChamps (2007-02-08). Retrieved on 2014-10-16. Expanding her oeuvre, she ran in the 10 km distance at the Vancouver Sun Run in a time of 33:31 minutes.Vancouver Sun Run 10 km. ARRS (2014-04-29). Retrieved on 2014-10-16. That year she married her college coach, Ron Bowker, and began competing under that name from 1986 onwards."Victoria track coach suspended after misconduct allegations". Times Colonist Victoria (1998).

International medals continued over the following two seasons. At the 1986 Commonwealth Games she was double silver medallist in the 1500 m and 3000 m (narrowly finishing behind compatriot Lynn Williams in the latter event).Commonwealth Games. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2014-10-16. The 1987 Pan American Games brought another 1500 m silver medal, as she finished behind American Linda Sheskey.Pan American Games. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2014-10-16. She made her fifth and final world cross appearance at the 1986 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, but was some way down the field in 64th place as Canada dropped out of the top ten teams.. AthChamps (2007-02-08). Retrieved on 2014-10-16. Her first world track appearance came at the 1987 World Championships in Athletics in Rome and she was a finalist in both the 1500 m and 3000 m events, placing eleventh and thirteenth respectively.

Later international career She was chosen for the Canadian Olympic team for the 1988 Summer Olympics and ran two personal bests in the heats. She ran a career best of 8:43.81 minutes to reach the 3000 m final, where she was nearly half a minute slower in 15th place. A new best of 4:07.08 followed in the 1500 m heats, but again she was somewhat slower in the final, this time taking twelfth. With no major events in 1989, her next major tournament was the 1990 Commonwealth Games. Although she failed to medal on her fourth appearance at the games, she still managed to place sixth in the 1500 m final. That year she won the Vancouver Sun Run for the second time in her career.

At the age of 32, she ran a 1500 m personal best at the 1991 World Championships in Athletics in Tokyo and matched her overall placing from her last outing at the event, ending in eleventh. The last global outing of her career was a third Olympic selection – at the 1992 Summer Olympics she was a 1500 m semi-finalist.

Personal bests 800 metres: 2:01.48 min (1986) 1000 metres: 2:38.30 min (1986) 1500 metres: 4:05.07 min (1991) Mile run (track): 4:29.67 min (1982) Mile run (road): 4:23.96 min (1982) 2000 metres: 5:39.96 min (1986) 3000 metres: 8:43.81 min (1988) 3000 m indoor: 9:04.99 min (1985) 5000 metres: 15:48.99 min (1982)

Achievements 7-time Canadian 1500m champion (1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1991) 1982 Canadian 3000m champion

Representing 1978Commonwealth GamesEdmonton, Alberta, Canada17th (h)1500 m4:24.369th3000 m10:02.591979World Cross Country ChampionshipsLimerick, Ireland13th5.0 km1981World Cross Country ChampionshipsMadrid, Spain8th4.4 km1982Commonwealth GamesBrisbane, Australia11th (h)1500 m4:18.9012th3000 m9:32.201984World Cross Country ChampionshipsNew York City, United States64th5.0 km1984Olympic GamesLos Angeles, United States10th1500 m4:10.411985World Indoor GamesParis, France1st3000 m9:04.991985World Cross Country ChampionshipsLisbon, Portugal11th5.0 km1986World Cross Country ChampionshipsNeuchâtel, Switzerland64th4.7 km1986Commonwealth GamesEdinburgh, Scotland2nd1500 m4:11.942nd3000 m8:54.831987Pan American GamesIndianapolis, United States2nd1500 m1987World ChampionshipsRome, Italy11th1500 m 4:08.3813th3000 m8:58.631988Olympic GamesSeoul, South Korea12th1500 m4:17.9515th3000 m9:11.951990Commonwealth GamesAuckland, New Zealand6th1500 m4:11.201991World ChampionshipsTokyo, Japan11th1500 m4:06.061992Olympic GamesBarcelona, Spain22nd (sf)1500 m4:12.50(#) Indicates overall position in qualifying heats (h) or semifinals (sf)

References

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