Follow our Olympics coverage in the lead-up to the Paris Games.
EUGENE, Ore. — Valarie Allman’s gold medal was secured. Her spot in Paris was never really in question. Whatever suspense existed in the women’s discus competition ended when reigning world champ Laulauga Tausaga-Collins fouled all three throws in the first round of these U.S. Olympic track and field trials.
Still, Allman, on her sixth and final throw Thursday, went for it, summoning her best stuff in the moment. Because the crowd at Hayward Field egged her on with a rhythmic clap. Because the memories of not producing when it counted most at the last two world championships left a mark. Because she’s got her former vibes back — the thrill of the hunt, the peace to just let it fly.
She didn’t hit her personal best of 71.46, the American record she set in 2022. But her sixth throw Thursday landed 70.73 meters. She threw 70.89 in the first round on Monday.
The U.S. champion in women’s discus heads to Paris to defend her gold medal having thrown at least 70 meters in back-to-back rounds. She’s never done that before. She’s also never hit that special 70 mark in a big-time meet before this. Progress for the woman who seems so inevitable.
“I have the potential to be the best I’ve ever been,”…
