Allman retains Olympic discus title in Paris

Valarie Allman of the United States did it all in the women’s discus final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on Monday (5), retaining her title in dominant fashion with four throws superior to anything her rivals could match, the best of them 69.50m.

Silver went to China’s Feng Bin, world champion in 2022 and world bronze medallist last year, who completed a full set of global medals by taking silver on countback with 67.51m.

Croatia’s 34-year-old Sandra Elkasevic, seven times European champion and two-time Olympic gold medallist, also reached that mark but took bronze through the Chinese thrower’s superior second-best throw.

That did not diminish her joy as she was congratulated by Feng and then very carefully and sportingly shook Allman’s hand.

There had been a huge ovation for the 45-year-old French discus thrower Melina Robert-Michon, who has raised her game to reach the final as she competes in her seventh Olympics, matching the record number of appearances for a woman in track and field.

The 2016 Olympic silver medallist placed last with 57.03m – but that wasn’t the point.

Allman, who has won world silver and bronze since earning gold in Tokyo, had topped qualifying with 69.59m, the best throw seen at an Olympics since Atlanta 1996.

But Elkasevic (nee Perkovic), always competitive, was the second-best qualifier.

Having earned that latest European victory in Rome with a big first-round effort of 67.04m, Elkasevic tried the same tactic and led with 64.25m, only for Feng, with 66.33m, and Sweden’s Vanessa Kamga, with 65.05m, to move past her.

Allman, whose first effort was a foul, took a grip on the competition with a second-round 68.74m.

But Elkasevic, the epitome of the competitive athlete, embraced plan B in the third round with an effort of 67.51m that moved her up to silver-medal position.

She was not there long, however, as the same distance from Feng saw the Chinese athlete move into second place through her superior second-best effort. Elkasevic stayed in bronze position despite a late challenge of 65.37m from Germany’s Marike Steinacker.

Allman, however, was in a world of her own, adding a third-round throw of 68.06m before extending her lead, jubilantly, with a 69.50m in round four and adding a final effort of 69.21m.