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Ria Stalman

b. 1951

Dutch discus thrower

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About Ria Stalman

Born 1951. Ria Stalman is a Dutch athletics competitor.

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.

After a brief career with the UTEP Miners track and field team, Stalman went to Arizona State University, where she was on the Arizona State Sun Devils 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 July 1984, she achieved her all-time best discus throw of 71.22 m in Walnut, CA,

At the Los Angeles Summer Olympics in August 1984, she won the gold medal for her 65.36 m in the discus throw event. 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 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. Shot put: 18.02 m (San Jose, CA, 1984)

Discus throw 61.14 m

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Important facts

Birth century
Education
Arizona State University
Awards
Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau
Also known as
Maria "Ria" Geertruida Stalman

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Ria Stalman's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Ria Stalman?

Dutch discus thrower

When was Ria Stalman born?

Ria Stalman was born on 11 December 1951 in Delft.

What is Ria Stalman's occupation?

Ria Stalman is an athletics competitor.

What nationality is Ria Stalman?

Ria Stalman is Dutch.

Sources & further reading

Β· Wikipedia: Ria Stalman

Β· Wikidata: Q261425

Β· DBpedia: Ria Stalman

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Ria Stalman. https://biography.guide/ria-stalman/

MLA: "Ria Stalman." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/ria-stalman/.

Chicago: "Ria Stalman." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/ria-stalman/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-21 Β· Spot an error? Report a correction.

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