AUSTIN (KXAN) — Valarie Allman launched her fourth throw in the women's discus competition nearly 70 meters to repeat as Olympic champion Monday at Stade de France.
Allman's winning mark of 69.50 meters (about 228 feet) was two meters further than silver medalist Bin Feng of China, and this one felt a lot different for Allman than her win in Tokyo.
"With the pandemic going on the first time, and then with three years of life and change, it feels so special and validating to be here tonight," she said. "To have my family here and in a stadium full of people who are crazy about athletics and to put on a good show, it was a lot of fun."
Allman was the only thrower to foul on her first attempt, but she responded with a mark of 68.74 on her second attempt that would have won gold on its own. She had two throws over 69 meters in her series.
She said she had a good feeling about Paris and loved how her preliminary throws felt Friday, posting a mark almost four meters further than Croatia's Sandra Elkasevic who won bronze. But when she stepped into the ring Monday evening in front of 15,000-plus screaming fans, she said she got some butterflies.
"My first throw was so bad," she said, laughing. "I felt the nerves. I felt the pressure. It took resetting, finding my groove and building my confidence to hit some big throws, and then it took off from there."
Allman lives in Austin, Texas, and trains with University of Texas at Austin throwing coach Zeb Sion. Allman is also a volunteer assistant coach with the Longhorns. When she gets back to the Texas capital, she said she's going to celebrate in the most Texas way possible — eat a lot of barbecue at one of Central Texas' most popular spots.
"I'm so excited to get back. I'm going to Terry Black's to celebrate and eat a pound of brisket," she said. "I can't wait to go all out there."
