Valarie Allman defends Olympic discus title, becomes first American woman to win two gold medals

Valarie Allman is golden once again.

The Silver Creek graduate 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.

“Pressure is becoming my friend,” Allman told the Associated Press. “I think it’s one of those things I’ve learned can bring out the best in you if you embrace it.”

In the finals, Allman’s first throw sailed out of bounds for a foul, 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.

“I felt the weight of like, ‘Holy crap, this is the Olympics,’” Allman said. “It took me a minute to find my groove.”

Allman’s third throw was 68.06, then she 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.

China’s Bin Feng, who beat Allman in the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, 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.

“To walk into the ring having one attempt left and knowing I’d already won, it was hard fighting back tears,” Allman said.

Allman then sprinted across the track and jumped into the arms of her coach and boyfriend, Zebulon Sion. She went to the bronze bell that sits trackside after that, 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.