# Michael Mai

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> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Michael_Mai.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Mai
> Source revision: 1343613402
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{{Short description|American hammer thrower (born 1977)}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Michael Mai
| full_name =
| image = Hammerthrow wire.jpg
| nationality =
| residence = 
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1977|09|27}}
| birth_place = [Le Mars, Iowa](/source/Le_Mars%2C_Iowa)
| death_date =
| death_place =
| height = 6 ft 4 in
| weight =
| country = {{USA}}
| sport = [Athletics](/source/Sport_of_athletics)
| event = [Hammer throw](/source/Hammer_throw)
| club =
| medaltemplates = 
{{MedalCompetition|[Pan American Games](/source/Pan_American_Games)}}
{{Medal|Silver|[2011 Guadalajara](/source/Athletics_at_the_2011_Pan_American_Games)|[Hammer throw](/source/Athletics_at_the_2011_Pan_American_Games_%E2%80%93_Men's_hammer_throw)}}
}}

'''Michael Mai''' (born September 27, 1977) is a [U.S. Army](/source/U.S._Army) major and former [athlete](/source/Sport_of_athletics).

An [Iowa](/source/Iowa) native, Mai is the second youngest out of six siblings. One of his sisters was an Iowa state champion in the [800 meters](/source/800_meters) and he has a brother who earned two state championships in [shot put](/source/shot_put).<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hersom |first1=Terry |title=Mai to be inducted into Hall of Fame after beating cancer |url=https://siouxcityjournal.com/sports/track-and-field/college/mai-to-be-inducted-into-hall-of-fame-after-beating-cancer/article_4fba877a-a4a5-5202-bfa4-0040456475ac.html |work=[Sioux City Journal](/source/Sioux_City_Journal) |date=April 16, 2015 |language=en}}</ref>

Mai, the 1996 valedictorian at [Gehlen Catholic School](/source/Gehlen_Catholic_School) in [Le Mars, Iowa](/source/Le_Mars%2C_Iowa), competed in high school as a discus thrower, with the hammer throw not offered in the Iowa school system.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Glamm |first1=Joanne |title=Mai's throws may take him to the Olympics |url=https://www.lemarssentinel.com/story/1862152.html |work=Le Mars Daily Sentinel |date=June 20, 2012 |language=en}}</ref> It wasn't until he was at the [United States Military Academy, West Point](/source/United_States_Military_Academy) that he began in the hammer throw. He initially played football for the army but had to quit after two seasons due to injury, so decided to return to athletics.<ref>{{cite news |last1=McMillan |first1=Ken |title=Track & field: Mai hopes to be launching hammer at Olympics |url=https://www.recordonline.com/article/20100623/SPORTS36/6230344 |work=[Times Herald-Record](/source/Times_Herald-Record) |date=June 23, 2010 |language=en}}</ref>

During his career he never found a place on the U.S. Olympic team, but competed twice in hammer throw at the World Championships, in 2009 and 2011.<ref>{{cite news |title=Heaving hammer comes easily for Mai |url=https://www.fkgoldstandard.com/content/heaving-hammer-comes-easily-mai |work=[The Gold Standard](/source/The_Gold_Standard_(newspaper)) |date=August 4, 2011}}</ref> He won a silver medal for the United States at the [2011 Pan American Games](/source/2011_Pan_American_Games). His wife, Deirdre Mullen, competed at the same Pan American Games as a high jumper.<ref>{{cite news |title=Hammer and high jump at Pan Ams trump honeymoon |url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-hammer-and-high-jump-at-pan-ams-trump-honeymoon-2011oct28-story.html |work=[San Diego Union-Tribune](/source/San_Diego_Union-Tribune) |date=October 28, 2011}}</ref>

Mai had a personal best throw of 76.28m, set in Provo in 2008. His best indoor throw of 23.91m came at the 2012 national championships, where he finished second behind Olympian [A. G. Kruger](/source/A._G._Kruger). He also had a second-place finish at the [2011 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships](/source/2011_USA_Outdoor_Track_and_Field_Championships).

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{World Athletics|united-states/michael-mai-14244728}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mai, Michael}}
Category:1977 births
Category:Living people
Category:American men hammer throwers
Category:Sportspeople from Iowa
Category:People from Le Mars, Iowa
Category:United States Army soldiers
Category:Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States in athletics (track and field)
Category:Medalists at the 2011 Pan American Games
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2011 Pan American Games
Category:World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Michael Mai](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Mai) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Mai?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.