Results from the Oklahoma (USA) Throws Series in Ramona, has established a significant broader context regarding global rankings and historical performance in discus throwing. In the women’s discus, Valarie Allman’s remarkable 73.52m throw on April 12 is the farthest women’s discus throw in the world since 1989.
This achievement propels her to sixth on the world all-time list and allows her to regain the North American record, surpassing the 73.09m thrown by Cuba’s Yaime Perez in Ramona the previous year.
High-caliber Competition
Allman’s performance at the World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze meeting highlights the high caliber of competition present. Furthermore, the fact that World champion Laulauga Tausaga-Collins also improved her personal best to 70.72m, breaking the 70-meter barrier for the first time, underscores the exceptional level of throwing at this event.
In the men’s discus, Matt Denny’s throw of 74.25m represents an Oceanian record and positions him as just 10cm shy of the world record. This places him at second on the world all-time list. The event saw an impressive depth of performance, with three men throwing beyond 70 metres.
His near world-record throw of April 10, achieved at the same facility where Mykolas Alekna broke the world record the previous year, signifies Ramona as a venue conducive to exceptional discus performances.
Significance of Denny’s Throw
Denny demonstrated remarkable consistency, with all six of his throws in the competition surpassing the 70-meter mark. Specifically, he opened with 71.03m, followed by a personal best (PB) of 73.46m in round two, his record-breaking 74.25m in the third round, and subsequent throws of 72.93m, 71.14m, and 73.56m.
Denny’s performance sets the stage for an anticipated competition against world record holder Alekna today (13).
Additionally, strong performances in other throwing events at the same series, such as Rachel Richeson’s hammer throw of 78.80m which moved her to fifth on the world all-time list, indicate that the Oklahoma Throws Series is becoming a notable event for high-level throws and potential record-breaking performances across multiple disciplines.