It All Started Here: Valarie Allman

When Valarie Allman qualified for Team USA to compete in the 2024 Summer Olympics, she knew she would be facing a field eager to take down the reigning Olympic champion. Allman took the gold medal in the discus at the 2021 Games in Tokyo and came to Paris in 2024 looking to become just the second woman to win back-to-back gold medals.

Fortunately, Allman could draw on her experience competing at Silver Creek High School in Longmont, Colorado. After finishing third at the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) state track meet as a sophomore, Allman broke through at the 2012 state meet as a junior, winning the CHSAA Class 4A discus with a state-record throw of 164-0.

Returning to the state meet as a senior in 2013, Allman successfully defended her state title with a throw of 167-3. It capped an impressive year for Allman, which included a new state record of 183-3 during the regular season.

It served Allman well in Paris, where she successfully repeated as gold medalist.

After graduating from Silver Creek, Allman attended Stanford University, where she was a seven- time All-American. Her personal best in the discus is 234-5¼, good for the 15th best throw in history.