Valarie Allman, a double Olympic discus champion, stated that she would like to see field events added to the recent surge of new sports competitions.
Allman said: “Any focus – especially on women’s sports – I think is great. You have to start somewhere to get people interested and tell the stories.”
She added: “But I think the beauty of track and field is that ‘circus’ feeling, that you get to see a little bit of everything, and as soon as you start to fragment it, it definitely changes the perception for people.”
The first ever women-only Athlos meet took place in New York last September and it was a huge success. Next year, the Grand Slam Track of Michael Johnson and the Duael Track will debut.
Track is frequently given priority in athletics over field events, and these new competitions continue a pattern that Allman would like to reverse. The athlete stated: “Field eventers, they’re out there for an hour on the competition field, there’s always something going on, there’s interesting dynamics and they’re also people that I think want to compete the most… My hope is that these new meets – while exciting – recognize that track and field is a total package.”
In the Paris Olympics, Allman became the first American woman to win back-to-back discus Olympic titles. Now she aims to capture gold at the Tokyo World Championships in 2025.
“To win in Tokyo and have that full circle moment of my first world medal, first championship medal and to hopefully walk away with a similar result would be really incredible,” she shared.
Source: CNA