LONDON, England – Stanford discus thrower Valarie Allman, in her first U.S. senior national team debut, did not advance at the IAAF World Track and Field Championships on Friday at the Olympic Stadium.
Allman threw 176 feet, 8 inches (53.85) on her first throw, but two others resulted in fouls. Her mark placed her 14th in her qualifying group and was not enough to reach Sunday's final. Allman would have needed 201-8 (61.49m) to make the 12-thrower final.
This was the first senior global competition for Allman, who returns to Stanford for her fifth season next spring.
The meet included two championship performances from Stanford alumnae. Kori Carter of the U.S. won the 400 hurdles and Katerina Stefanidi of Greece won the pole vault. They were teammates at Stanford in 2011 and 2012.
Through Friday afternoon's competition, nine former U.S. collegiate athletes have won titles at this meet, but Stanford is the only school with two winners.
Though she redshirted outdoors, Allman had an extraordinary season. She broke the school 20-pound weight throw record five times indoors. Outdoors, she unleashed a throw of 212-3 (64.69m) at the Cardinal Classic – a personal record by six feet – and became the 12th-longest thrower in American history.
She broke 64 meters twice, after never having broken 62 before the season, and averaged 187-6 (57.15m) for her eight meets this outdoor season. Only two other throwers in Stanford history had even a single throw of 187-6 during their collegiate careers.
Because of the redshirt year, Allman's 212-3 did not count as a school record. She stands second on Stanford's all-time performers' list at 201-6 (61.42m), which she earned while placing third at the 2016 NCAA Championships. Carol Cady, a 1984 Olympian, holds the mark of 207-8 (63.30).
Allman has one more competition remaining. She and Stanford teammate Mackenzie Little, an Australian javelin thrower, compete at the World University Games in Taipei, Taiwan. The track and field competition is Aug. 23-28. That competition will close the book on the extended Stanford 2017 season.
