You may have heard that Valarie Allman won the United States’s first gold medal of the track and field meet in Tokyo, taking first in discus on Monday. She actually secured the win on her very first throw, slinging the disk 68.98 meters to a distance that would outlast all of her competitors, even through a lengthy rain delay. Kristin Pudenz of Germany took silver and Yaime Perez of Cuba took bronze.
It was a huge moment for Allman in her very first Olympics. “I can’t believe it,” she said afterwards. “I’ve watched the Olympics for as long as I can remember and athletics has always had such a special part in my heart, and to now be here, be in his moment, it feels so surreal.” With no family allowed in the stands in Tokyo, Allman ran over to celebrate with her coach. But when she started her post-win interview with NBC, she got a heartwarming surprise. The network connected Allman with her family watching back home, and Allman could hardly contain her excitement as her family members and dogs popped up on screen. “I love you guys. I couldn’t have done this without you,” she said, as they blew kisses.
Watch the sweet video and see more shots from Allman’s gold-medal winning day ahead!