Debbie Heald (born 20 August 1955) is a former American track and field athlete, known for her success in middle-distance races. ^[1]

Heald is the daughter of Richard and Ernestine Heald. She grew up in La Mirada, California. ^[2]

At the age of eleven, Heald was a member of the Hutchinson Track Club. ^[2] At a meet in Lancaster, she finished a mile race with a time of 5:33.9, which at the time was the fastest time recorded for a girl of her age. ^[3] By the time she was fourteen, Heald had won three state running championships and five district Amateur Athletic Union titles. She also held two national crowns. ^[4]

Heald defeated the then-current 1500m world record holder Tamara Pangelova of the USSR on March 17, 1972, at the Richmond Coliseum. ^{[5] [6] [7] [8]} Her win was a significant victory as it was during the height of the Cold War and prior to this the Soviets had predominantly dominated the sport. ^[9]

As well as winning, with that race Heald also set an American high school record for the indoor mile for girls track (with a time of 4:38.5), which stood for over 40 years, until finally broken on January 26, 2013, by Mary Cain. ^{[10] [2] [11] [12]} Until that time, Heald's record was the longest-standing of any girls' high school record. ^{[13] [14]}

Heald attended California State University, Fullerton, graduating with a degree in education. ^[9] Heald continued to train throughout her college years, but her career was progressively hampered by repeated injuries and tendonitis from overtraining, as well as a diagnosis of schizophrenia. ^[2]

In 2002, Heald carried the Olympic torch in Los Angeles on its nationwide tour in advance of the Winter Olympic Games at Salt Lake City. ^{[9] [15]}