Valarie Allman wins gold in discus, becomes 1st American woman to win 2 gold medals in event
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Valarie Allman is golden once again.
Allman defended her Olympic title on Monday at the Stade de France in Saint-Dennis, France, to become the first American woman to win two gold medals in discus on the world’s biggest stage.
In the finals, Allman’s first throw sailed out of bounds, but then the 29-year-old settled in. Her second throw of 68.74 meters moved her into first place, a spot she wouldn’t relinquish for the rest of the competition.
Allman’s third throw was 68.06, then Allman raised the bar again on her fourth throw, a 69.50 mark that gave her a significant cushion. Her fifth throw was another no-throw, prompting a grimace, but the other throwers in the field simply couldn’t match her power.
"You're definitely ready. You can definitely do this." – Valarie Allman's coach
And she DID, repeating as Olympic women's discus champion at the #ParisOlympics.
NBC Olympics | @Xfinity pic.twitter.com/gxlXvUdOAh
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 6, 2024
China’s Bin Feng, who beat Allman in the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Ore., took silver with a throw of 67.51. Croatia’s Sandra Elkasević, the gold medalist in London and Rio de Janeiro, got the bronze at 67.51. She placed third after Feng’s second-best throw topped hers.
After Feng and Elkasević’s final throws failed to beat Allman, securing the Coloradan the gold, Allman soaked in the crowd and unleashed another mega-throw of 69.21.
Allman, who prepped at Hershey High, then sprinted across the track and jumped into the arms of her coach and boyfriend, Zebulon Sion. Then she went to the bronze bell that sits trackside, giving it a kiss and ringing it with fervor as she draped the American flag around her. She also shared an emotional embrace with her parents, as well as her brother Kevin and his wife and child.
The competitive dancer-turned-thrower became the third woman to retain her Olympic title, joining Elkasević and East Germany’s Evelin Jahl, who won in 1976 and ‘80.
Allman, who entered the Paris Olympics with the top 13 marks ever thrown by an American woman and as the only American woman to medal at multiple World Athletics Championships, padded her unparalleled resume. The only other American women to win Olympic gold in the event are Lillian Copeland in Los Angeles in 1932 and Stephanie Brown Trafton in Beijing in 2008.