Valarie Allman Wins Discus to Claim First Track and Field Gold Medal for Team USA

American record holder Valarie Allman won gold with a 68.98-meter throw on her first try of the night in Tokyo.

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American record holder Valarie Allman won the women's discus after throwing 68.98 meters on her first attempt of Monday night. Allman's gold medal is the first for Team USA in track and field at the Tokyo Olympics.

"It is an honor," Allman told reporters afterward. "I couldn't be any happier or more proud. I’m still waiting for my feet to touch the ground.”

Allman's previous best finish at a global championship was a seventh-place showing at the 2019 world championships in Doha. The medal potential started to show last year when she threw an American record of 70.15 meters at a small competition in Rathdrum, Idaho. 

Germany's Kristin Pudenz threw a personal best of 66.86 meters for silver. Cuba's Yaime Perez, who entered the Olympics as the reigning world champion, took bronze with a 65.72-meter throw.

Allman is the first American woman to win gold in this event since Stephanie Brown-Trafton did so in 2008.