The First Woman to Win Two 800 Meter Olympic Medals: The Story of Kim Gallagher

The Women’s 800m is a relatively new event at the Olympics. First run at the 1928 games, later deemed too long of a distance for women so it was cut from the program until 1960 when it was finally permanently added to the schedule. Since then we’ve seen the likes of Madeline Manning Mimms in 1968 and Athing Mu in 2020 win Olympic medals for the United States in the 800m. But sandwiched between the two was Kim Gallagher in the 1980s. 

For Women’s History Month, today I want to highlight Kim Gallagher who overcame severe illnesses and navigated the world as a product of an interracial marriage to eventually become the first Black woman to win two Olympic medals in the 800m.

Born just outside of Philadelphia, at 7 years old she followed her older brother Bart Gallagher to practice at his track club, the Ambler Olympic Track Club. Because she was so small, Gallagher wasn’t allowed to run with them yet. But after months of watching, one day she went up to the club coach Larry Wilson and asked if she could join the team for a run. He allowed and she was given the chance to join the teenage girls for a run in the woods. Gallagher would shortly come running out of the woods alone and when coach Wilson asked where the older girls were, she told him, “I left them in the woods.”

This would be one of the first realizations of her talent and a precursor to the success she would have in the coming years.

Gallagher’s mother was Black while her father was Irish, so growing up as the child of an interracial marriage, she found running to be an easy way to step out from struggles she experienced, especially as a teenager. She would get called names by both the white and black kids at school. But despite that, her family provided comfort and reassurance that she was normal. But her mixed race dynamic would appear once again years later.

Attending Upper Dublin High School, Gallagher dominated everything from the 800m to cross country. When she was just 16 years old, she competed at the 1980 USA Olympic Trials where she finished 8th place in the final. That was her first exposure to major competition and set in motion her dreams of one day competing at the Olympics.

It’s also important to note that, when Gallagher started high school in the late 70s, women were just being “accepted” into distance running. For decades, distance running was claimed to be “too hard for women” as it “put too much stress on their body”. The 800m had just been permanently added to the Olympics in 1960 and the 1500m in 1972. Longer events such as the 3k, 5k and 10k were not even added until later in the 80s and early 90s.

In the fall of 1981, Gallagher was diagnosed with bursitis, which is an inflammation of fluid filled pads that act as a cushioning for your joints. She received treatment, but unfortunately suffered from some adverse reactions due to that treatment. Because of that, she barely competed through her senior year, but did recover enough to run the relays at the state meet. This would just be the first of many setbacks that Gallagher would have to overcome in her life.

In the summer of 1982, after not running any individual events during most of her senior season, Gallagher competed at the Olympic Sports Festival in Indianapolis, Indiana. In the 800m, she ran a new High School record of 2:00.07, a record that would stand for over 30 years until it was taken down by the great Mary Cain in 2013. Gallagher also ran 4:36.24 in the mile, including an en-route 1500m time of 4:16.6, another High School record which stood for 26 years.

After High School, Gallagher went on to briefly attend the University of Arizona. There, she was so fast that she had to train with the men’s cross country team. While at Arizona, though she trained under the school’s coach, her older brother was also involved in her coaching. This dynamic brought about some tension as her brother was much younger than other coaches; actually only 2 years older than Gallagher. In an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer at the time, Bart said “I feel I’m as qualified as any college coach in the country. Other coaches may outnumber me in age and years of experience, but if you show results, age is a ridiculous consideration.” 

Less than a year into her time at Arizona, Gallagher and her brother Bart decided to leave the University and train full time with the goal being the 1984 Olympics. Though there was criticism about her decision to leave school in 1983, Gallagher noted at the time, “world-class training and competing for a college don’t go hand in hand.”

With that, Gallagher and her brother Bart moved out to California to train full time for the 800m at the 1984 Olympic Games. But she immediately began to deal with some setbacks.

Gallagher dealt with anemia, which significantly slowed her ability to train, and late in 1983, found out she had polycystic ovaries which led her to undergo surgery early in 1984, just about 6 months before the 1984 Olympics were supposed to kick off. 

Despite those setbacks, Gallagher still had her sights set on the Olympics and she would not let her health issues deter her.

She was able to successfully recover in time for the 1984 USA Olympic trials, and Gallagher would win the 800m and finally qualify for her first Olympic Games. Larry Wilson, her coach from the Ambler Track Club when she was younger, believed that this performance meant more to her than anything else that she would go on to do later on in her career. To become an Olympian had been Gallagher’s goal since she was little and to finally have it come true meant the world.

At those 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Gallagher won a Silver medal in the 800m, becoming just the 2nd American woman and 2nd Black woman to win an Olympic medal in the event after Madeline Manning won Gold in 1968. 

After the 1984 Olympics, Gallagher was on top of the world. She took home an Olympic medal, she would become a star, earning endorsements as one of the best athletes in the world. But despite that, Gallagher would again deal with some major setbacks and challenges in her lead up to the 1988 Olympics.

Gallagher’s anemia was still prevalent and she was later diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome. In addition, she developed an infection of her fallopian tubes which had to be dealt with immediately. And along with that, the cysts on her ovaries unfortunately reappeared despite already having had surgery in 1984, though thankfully she finally had it relieved via hormone treatment.

All of these health issues led to her barely competing in the years between 1984 and 1988. She was in and out of the hospital, training when she could and competing sparingly, though not nearly up to the level she was truly capable of. But in 1988, things started to take a turn back in a positive direction.

At the 1988 USA Olympic Trials, Gallagher managed to not only win the 800m, but she also finished 3rd place in the 1500m, earning spots on the Olympic team in both events. And despite all that time off, she would carry that momentum to the Games.

The 1988 Olympics were held in Seoul, South Korea, and because she had only competed sparingly in the previous 4 years, Gallagher was not truly seen as the medal threat she once was. But defying all those odds, she not only managed to make the 800m final, but finished 3rd place winning an Olympic Bronze medal. Her time of 1:56.91 was a huge personal best and just .01 off the American record. This performance gave Gallagher her 2nd Olympic medal in the event, the first woman to ever win multiple Olympic medals in the 800 meters, and to this day, still the only American woman to ever do so.

Now despite her amazing comeback to win another Olympic medal, Gallagher was still dealing with significant health issues. After the race she said, “I felt like I was being stabbed in the stomach.” But her excitement and joy outweighed the physical pain and everything she overcame which made that bronze medal feel so much better than even her silver from four years prior.

Circling back a bit to her childhood, growing up mixed race and dealing with the dynamics of having an Irish father and a Black mother. Well, these dynamics presented themselves again, this time at the Olympic Games in Seoul. Some members of the Irish news media apparently misinterpreted her Irish lineage. They were looking for Gallagher to write a story about her medal. She remembered the experience laughing saying ”They thought I was white. When they met me, they said, ‘Uh — we have another appointment,” not understanding she also had a Black mother.

So a full circle moment, from when she was a child starting in track to the end of her career winning her 2nd Olympic medal, she was faced with the dynamics of being mixed race, but this time she was confident about who she was and understood both her Irish and Black identity.

Fast forward to the months after the Olympics and Gallagher would face a rollercoaster of events. Years back when she had to undergo surgery for her polycystic ovaries, the doctors told her that if she continued running, she would be unable to give birth. But despite that, in 1989 she gave birth to her daughter Jessica Smith. The same year, she would also be diagnosed with colon cancer.

Gallagher initially refused the doctor’s recommendations of chemotherapy, instead choosing to treat her cancer with vitamins, a healthy diet and a lot of rest. 

In addition to simply not wanting her hair to fall out, a common side effect of chemotherapy, Gallagher developed a mistrust of conventional medical advice throughout her athletic career. Including all the treatments and procedures she received in her time as a pro, her experience dated all the way back to her teenage years, remembering back to when she developed bursitis her senior year of high school and faced adverse effects due to the treatment. Her lived experience had contributed to her mistrust of medical treatment later in life.

“I opted for vitamin supplements and the doctor said, ‘Quackery!’ But I preferred a natural approach to healing,” Gallagher said in a 1997 interview. 

This proved to be effective for some time, with the cancer going into remission after a few years. She even developed enough strength to compete again at the 1992 Olympic Trials where she ran in the 800m heats. Unfortunately, she was unable to advance through the rounds, and this would turn out to be her final competition.

In 1994, her colon cancer reappeared and unfortunately, in 1995 she was also diagnosed with stomach cancer. She was confined to a wheelchair for some time, but later regained her health enough to be able to walk with a cane.

Gallagher would push through for another five years until 2002, when at just the age of 38, she unfortunately passed away due to a stroke. 

Gallagher’s life and story is one of challenges and celebration from the time she was young to her time on the Olympic podium. From almost losing her senior year due to adverse effects of medical treatment she received, to winning Olympic Bronze when dealing with excruciating pain due to illness. From being called racist names in school for both her Black and Irish identity as a child, to being misrepresented by the media after winning a medal at the largest athletics stage in the world.

Gallagher fought through the various struggles in her life and left an impact on the sport that still resonates with many today.

She is still the only American woman to win multiple Olympic medals in the 800m and her personal best of 1:56.91 still ranks her as the 6th fastest American ever.