Alumni corner: Valarie Allman returns to old stomping grounds an inspiration ahead of Paris Olympics
Dec. 26—Valarie Allman's professional track and field career has taken her to every corner of the world, all the way up to the top of the podium at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Nearly 13 years ago, her journey began within the confines of Silver Creek High School.
Earlier this month, she returned home to share her experiences — and the multitude of hardware she's picked up along the way — to the place where it all began.
Following a pep rally in the school's gym, Allman's former teachers, coaches and the entire student body surprised her with the gold medal ceremony that the COVID-restricted Tokyo Games deprived her of: a presentation in front of an audience.
Two years ago, she stood nearly alone as the American national anthem resonated through an empty stadium following her golden, 68.98-meter throw in the discus. This time around, she got to share the moment with the people who set her on the path toward the top of the world.
"It really was such an impactful moment in Tokyo during that medal ceremony," Allman said. "It had been such a blur from when I won, to getting there and then playing the anthem. It really hit me in that second, how badly I wished so many people that were on that journey with me were there.
"I really wish that we could have celebrated together, so to be back at my high school, and to have so many of those faces there while the band was playing the national anthem, it genuinely brought me to tears. It was such a special moment. It was probably one of the most thoughtful things that someone could ever do to recreate that magic moment, but I never ever expected it to be here at my old stomping grounds."
In addition to winning the crown in Tokyo, Allman has written up quite the resume. The two-time Colorado high school state champion and Gatorade track and field athlete of the year set the North American record for the longest discus throw at 71.46 meters in 2022, which World Athletics marked as the 15th-longest on the world's all-time list.
It was the longest throw on the world stage in nearly 30 years.
Following the assembly at SCHS, she took time to meet with and speak to a few of the students who had eagerly watched her in the last Olympics and look forward to watching her compete in the next one.
Olivia Stratton, a senior thrower with the Raptors, jumped at the chance to pick Allman's brain for tips and tricks.
"The coaches told me about her, because we were asking and we were looking at the records. They were like, 'You know, she's an Olympian and she's the best, actually, in the world.' We kind of learned about her from day one," Stratton said. "It just inspires me that someone from Longmont, Colorado — from Silver Creek — is an Olympian. It just inspires me that anything is possible if you work hard enough."
Stratton said she's excited to see what Allman can accomplish at the Paris Olympics next year, noting, "I'm going to get up at 5 a.m., if I need to, to watch her."
Allman, for her part, looks forward to defending her gold medal in front of a crowd as she continues to set the standard for discus throwers all over the globe.
"I'm so excited to just really give it my all and compete my heart out," she said. "I think, since winning the last Olympics, I feel proud of the consistency I've developed, but I've missed that extra edge of really going for it. I feel like the last time I had I was in Tokyo. Being in my first Olympics was really special. It's going to be really intense, really energetic, and to have the people that I really value there, I think I'm going to try to use it as a little superpower to throw that discus just a little bit farther."
