By Amy Tennery
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Double Olympic discus champion Valarie Allman wants to see field events included in the recent run of splashy new athletics meets, the American told Reuters, as track stars continue to dominate the spotlight.
The inaugural, women-only Athlos meet was a hit when it launched in New York in September. Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam Track global league launches next year along with Duael Track.
The startups hope to harness the popularity of the sport after the Paris Games, with U.S. fans up for grabs ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. But none currently include field disciplines.
“Any focus – especially on women’s sports – I think is great. You have to start somewhere to get people interested and tell the stories,” said Allman, an Asics-sponsored athlete.
“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.”
Field events often play second fiddle to track in athletics and these novel meets perpetuate a disappointing trend Allman would like turned around.
“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,” said Allman.
“My hope is that these new meets – while exciting – (will) recognize that track and field is a total package.”
The 29-year-old became the first American woman to win consecutive discus Olympic titles in Paris this summer and hopes to bring home gold in 2025 at the World Championships in Tokyo.
The four-time Diamond League champion took bronze in Eugene and was seemingly cruising to victory in Budapest last year when her compatriot Laulauga Tausaga snatched the victory away in a stunning effort on her fifth throw.
She hopes she can recreate the magic of her first Olympic win in Tokyo next summer.
“I’ve definitely learned a lot after the last few years,” said Allman.
“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.”
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
