![]() ![]() ![]() “It was pretty heartbreaking," Allman said. Allman’s focus didn’t falter until she found out the 2020 Olympics had to be postponed. I missed the team in 2016 by three feet and it was kind of in that moment that I realized that I really wanted to try again,” Allman said.Ĭonsistency, discipline, attention to detail. “When I graduated college, I think that was the motivation to keep training. Her rigorous training is fueled by her desire to be a part of the next Olympics. "So that includes the strength-training concepts, if we do any type of running, fitness oriented things, plyometrics, and then of course the actual throwing.”Īt only 25 years old, Allman is considered a pro athlete. “I’m responsible for every facet of her training," Sion said. Multiple days every week, she trains hard in the gym guided by her coach Zebulon Sion. "I think all those years of learning choreography and spinning and doing pirouettes weirdly carried over to the discus, and it kind of just seemed like a good fit right from the start.” “I had a weird knack for it," Allman said. But it’s her dance background that she credits for her quick progression in the sport. She started sophomore year of high school. ![]() “When you throw a discus it takes about two seconds, and it’s a combination of power, of grace, of strength… I like to think of it as a dance still," Allman said. Two-time defending champion Sandra Perkovic advanced in women’s discus throw with Valarie Allman leading the qualification list ahead of India’s Kamalpreet Kaur.AUSTIN, Texas - Valarie Allman has been throwing discus for 10 years. “But I’m there now and that’s the main thing.” “I really had no idea about my shape before coming here,” he said. Lavillenie managed to regroup and secured qualification by going over 5.75m. “It’s so sad because Sam was in really good shape and he always jumps high at championships, so basically there is a medal spot free now,” said world record holder Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis of Sweden after sailing through to Tuesday’s final.ĭefending Olympic champion Thiago Braz also qualified but France’s Renaud Lavillenie, the 2012 Olympic champion, had a hard time and failed in his first two attempts to clear 5.50m. Men’s pole vault also kicked off without Sam Kendricks after the American world champion was ruled out due to COVID-19. ![]() The men’s 800m contenders were also safely through to the semi-finals with the event set to crown a new winner in Tokyo for the first time since 2012, after double Olympic gold medallist Kenyan David Rudisha’s injuries kept him out. “No matter how many difficulties you face you have to believe in what you do and when you believe in it, you can do anything, whether you are a refugee or not,” Keletela said. The 22-year-old, originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, ran a personal best 10.33 to advance to the next round of the men’s 100m as the blue-riband event kicked off its post-Usain Bolt era at the Olympics. “When you are lined up with the best in the world, that in itself is enough for me to keep me going and keep that competitive edge.”ĭorian Keletela also has a chance to put his name in the mix among the world’s best sprinters and the Olympic Refugee team athlete did not disappoint. “I’m just trying not to emphasise on the word Olympics and try to take it like I do every meet, not to put pressure on myself and just give it everything that I’ve got,” she said, adding that lack of fans in the stands was not bothering her. Olympic trials for the 2016 Rio Games but a few weeks later she set the world record of 12.20 in London. Harrison failed to make the mark at the U.S. There will be no lack of motivation for the 28-year-old. Muhammad, McLaughlin and Bol were not bothered by the hot and humid conditions and aced their heats to safely advance to Monday’s semi-finals, lifting the spirits following the exit of Okagbare, who was scheduled to compete in the 100m semi-finals later.Īmerican Kendra Harrison, who was also through, has a chance to become the first world record holder to win Olympic gold in the women’s 100 metres hurdles since Bulgaria’s Yordanka Donkova triumphed at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. It was another busy morning of running, jumping and throwing at the oval-shaped Olympic Stadium on a stifling day though a bit of cloud cover brought some respite for the athletes and those present as the session progressed.īefore the day’s competition started, there was bad news for Nigerian sprinter and 2008 Olympics long jump silver medallist Blessing Okagbare, who bowed out of the Tokyo Games after failing a doping test. TOKYO (Reuters) – World champion Dalilah Muhammad, world record-holder Sydney McLaughlin and European indoor champion Femke Bol stayed on course for a gripping Olympic showdown in women’s 400 metres hurdles as athletics entered day two of competitions in Tokyo. ![]()
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