Olympic champion Valarie Allman, 28, amazes in the hockey ring.
She was supposed to be a dancer.
– Dance was a big part of my life at a young age. I made a huge commitment to it: four hours at a time, five or six days a week, he says.
At the age of 14, he ended up trying discus throwing through a half-acquaintance.
– It was just a fun side hobby. My brain instinctively choreographed the movement.
– I knew that I probably wouldn’t be able to make a living from dancing as an adult, so I wanted to focus on my studies.
In 2014, he got a place to study at Stanford University in the United States. He completed the product-planned full course load and his final degree in three years. Product design could be translated as a multidisciplinary subject that combines mechanical engineering and art.
In 2021 Valarie Allman won the Olympic gold in the discus throw. Last summer there was a World Championship bronze and the longest arc in 30 years, when the flag flew 71.46 in April. The result ranks 15th on the all-time list.
One vice
In her youth, Valarie Allman intensively practiced classical ballet, jazz ballet, tap and hip-hop. She started professional discus training in 2017. The breakthrough happened in 2020, when the woman broke the US record of 70.15 and improved her own record by three meters. ZumaWire / MVPHOTOS
Iltalehti’s athletics expert Arto Bryggare applauds the American’s decision to become a professional athlete only after studying.
– Discus throwing is a sport where you can do this, because age is not a burden. Of course, Allmann’s route is exceptional: that’s not how you get to the top of the world. If we compare to Sandra Perkovicso his background is completely different, Bryggare comments and compares the Yankee to the Croatian who dominated the sport for more than ten years.
The rise of Allmann, 28, to the top after only a few years of goal-oriented training raises questions.
– I hope it is based on the fact that he is very active. Moving around in the ring is like dancing, because he has great control over the movement trajectories. The woman’s legs are terribly strong and her power output is top class, but otherwise she looks like a caretaker.
Allman’s upper body in particular is very different from most world champions.
– As a discus thrower, Allman’s upper body is exceptionally tight. You can see that his diet is very strict. Throwers usually want to have more weight: when muscle mass is gained, fluid accumulates. Not, for example, a German championship medalist Kristin Pudenz with any pizza line go. Most of them have good diets, but they gain mass.
Allman has said that a strict diet is easy.
– Dance taught me an incredible amount of discipline. My only vice is the ice cream.
Special technique
Allman spins around a couple of times even after the tool has left his hand. PDO
The slick and supple Yankee uses a different technique than, for example, the stars of Europe. It’s about the American model, which aims for the highest possible rotation speed and kinetic energy. The athlete spins around a couple of times even after the device has come off the hand.
– Movement energy must be accelerated to gain an advantage, because otherwise the hand becomes a passenger.
In Europe, many prefer a simpler way.
– For example, in Germany, the support leg stays in place when the drive starts.
On Friday night, Allman won the Florence Diamond League race (65.96).
– If he is healthy enough, and he doesn’t want to start a family, four years will easily pass at the top of the world, even eight years. Due to a short career, there have not been too many kilometers when there are no health problems in the knees and back.
In 2021, the American won gold at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. ZumaWire / MVPHOTOS
Allman’s body structure is different from the vast majority of other top throwers in the world. PDO
Sources: World Athletics, Team USA and Track & Field News.