Curtis Beach
American decathlete (born 1990)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Curtis Lee Beach (born July 22, 1990) is a retired American decathlete and a two-time NCAA heptathlon champion who holds the world heptathlon best in the 1000 meters.
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Beach in 2016 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Curtis Lee Beach | |||||||||||||||||
| Nationality |  United States | |||||||||||||||||
| Born | July 22, 1990 | |||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)[1] | |||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 166 lb (75 kg)[1] | |||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | |||||||||||||||||
Event | Combined events | |||||||||||||||||
| College team | Duke Blue Devils (2009–14) | |||||||||||||||||
| Retired | 2021[2] | |||||||||||||||||
| Now coaching | PLNU Sea Lions[3] (2025–) | |||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||||||
| Personal best(s) | Decathlon: 8,084 points (2011) Heptathlon: 6,190 points (2014) | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Early life and high school
Beach was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the oldest son of Jeana King-Beach and David Beach.[5] From a young age, he showed athletic promise, joining a track club at eight and competing in his first decathlon at fourteen.[6][7][8] At Albuquerque Academy, he won 17 individual New Mexico state titles and set national high school records in the pentathlon and decathlon (with both high school and international implements).[9][10][11][12] In 2009, DyeStat declared him "the greatest US high school decathlete ever."[13]
College
Beach attended Duke University, where he became a two-time NCAA national champion in the heptathlon, winning in 2012 and 2014.[14][15] In 2011, he set a collegiate record in the decathlon 1500 meters and finished second in the decathlon at the NCAA Championships.[16][17] In 2010 and 2012, he set world heptathlon bests in the 1000 meters.[18][19]
Professional career
After graduating from Duke, Beach underwent Tommy John surgery,[20][21] then for the next three years competed professionally for Nike.[22][3] In 2016, he won the heptathlon at the U.S. indoor national championships and placed fourth in the heptathlon at the World Indoor Championships.[23][24] In 2017, he explored other events, including a focus on the 800 meters and the 400 meters hurdles.[25]
Honors and awards
Governor Bill Richardson declared July 1, 2009, to be "Curtis Lee Beach Day" in recognition of the day that Beach was named the 2009 Gatorade National Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year.[1][26][27] He received the Fair Play award for cheering on Ashton Eaton during the final leg of the decathlon 1500 meters at the 2012 US Olympic Trials.[28][29][30] In 2015, he was inducted into the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame.[31][32]
Personal bests
Outdoor
| Event | Performance | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long jump | 7.88 m (25 ft 10 in) (+0.0 m/s) | New York City | June 14, 2013 |
| 200 meters | 21.57 (+1.8 m/s) | Claremont | June 3, 2017 |
| 800 meters | 1:47.36 | New York City | July 6, 2017 |
| 400m hurdles | 49.83 | Claremont | June 3, 2017 |
| Event | Performance | Location | Date | Score | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decathlon | N/a | Des Moines | June 9–10, 2011 | 8,084 points | N/a |
| 100 meters | 10.52 (+1.9 m/s) | Chula Vista | May 22, 2015 | 970 points | [33] |
| Long jump | 7.85 m (25 ft 9 in) (+1.3 m/s) | Chula Vista | May 22, 2015 | 1,022 points | [33] |
| Shot put | 12.64 m (41 ft 5+1⁄2 in) | Chula Vista | May 22, 2015 | 645 points | [33] |
| High jump | 2.05 m (6 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | Eugene | June 25, 2009 | 850 points | [34] |
| 400 meters | 46.72 | Raleigh | April 19, 2013 | 972 points | [35] |
| 110m hurdles | 14.23 (+1.0 m/s) | Azusa | April 14, 2016 | 945 points | |
| Discus throw | 39.44 m (129 ft 4+3⁄4 in) | Eugene | June 23, 2012 | 653 points | [36] |
| Pole vault | 5.10 m (16 ft 8+3⁄4 in) | Austin | March 28, 2013 | 941 points | [37] |
| Javelin throw | 48.42 m (158 ft 10+1⁄4 in) | Des Moines | June 10, 2011 | 565 points | [38] |
| 1500 meters | 3:59.13 | Des Moines | June 10, 2011 | 960 points | [39] |
| Virtual Best Performance | 8,523 points | N/a | |||
Indoor
| Event | Performance | Location | Date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 meters | 1:01.50 | New York City | February 7, 2014 | [40] |
| 600 meters | 1:16.38 | Albuquerque | March 4, 2017 | [41] |
| 800 meters | 1:52.72 | New York City | March 15, 2009 | [42] |
| Event | Performance | Location | Date | Score | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heptathlon | N/a | Albuquerque | March 14–15, 2014 | 6,190 points | N/a |
| 60 meters | 7.01 | Crete, Nebraska | February 26, 2016 | 879 points | [23] |
| Long jump | 7.67 m (25 ft 1+3⁄4 in) | Albuquerque | March 14, 2014 | 977 points | [43] |
| Shot put | 13.12 m (43 ft 1⁄2 in) | Portland | March 18, 2016 | 675 points | [24] |
| High jump | 2.11 m (6 ft 11 in) | Albuquerque | March 1, 2013 | 906 points | [44] |
| 60m hurdles | 8.07 | Crete, Nebraska | February 27, 2016 | 964 points | [23] |
| Pole vault | 5.10 m (16 ft 8+3⁄4 in) | Crete, Nebraska | February 27, 2016 | 941 points | [23] |
| 1000 meters | 2:23.63[a] | Nampa | March 10, 2012 | 1,064 points | [45] |
| Virtual Best Performance | 6,406 points | N/a | |||