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Developing Young Athletes Network Podcast


Nov 12, 2018

How do you go from wanting to play high school softball to becoming one of the top Olympic Discus Throwers in American History? On today’s show, we will answer that question and many more. Today’s guest picked up her first discus after losing a bet with her high school physical education teacher. In her first year of throwing, she placed second in the discus at the State Championship and went on to become a three-time champion in the event and broke meet records in her junior and senior years.

She continued her journey to becoming an Olympian at the University of Washington where she set Washington, Pac-10 Conference and American collegiate records in the discus and was a four-time NCAA All-American. During her sophomore year in 1996, she qualified for the Olympic team placing third in the trials and coming in 34th in the Olympic Games in Atlanta.

After college, she continued to train and won a Gold Medal in the 1999 Pan Am Games. Our guest once told a reporter, “As long as I can stay competitive, I’ll keep throwing”, and throwing she did... to the swing of becoming a four-time USA Outdoor Champion, a second gold medal winner in the 2003 Pan Am Games, being on five World Championship teams and four Olympic teams. She also served as the team captain for the 2012 Olympic team.

While shattering records and breaking barriers our guest fantastically learned how to balance a super athletic career and becoming a mom. Our guest had already competed in two Olympic games when she was training and went into labor. Two weeks after delivering her son, she was competing in the USA Championship, she once said, “you can have kids and go back to athletic training. You come back stronger from the experience not weaker”. She went on to compete in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.

Currently, she continues her love of the sport as the Managing Director of International Teams for the USA Track & Field.