Allman, O’Brien earn Athlete of the Week honors

INDIANAPOLIS -- Valarie Allman (Austin, Texas) shattered the American record in the women’s discus to earn USATF Athlete of the Week, and Parry O’Brien was selected by fans as winner of the 19th USATF Throwback Athlete of the Week award for setting a world record in the men’s shot put in 1959. In the absence of regular competition during the Covid-19 pandemic, we are taking a weekly look back at some of the great efforts by American track and field athletes through the years.
 
Showing picture-perfect technique at the Iron Wood Invitational in Rathdrum, Idaho, Allman added almost a meter to the previous American record of 69.17m/226-11 set in 2014 by Gia Lewis-Smallwood, throwing 70.15m/230-2 on her first attempt. That mark added three meters to Allman’s previous personal best and made her one of only three women in the world to surpass 70m since 2000. Winner of the past two USATF titles, Allman was seventh at the World Championships last October in Doha. She was the silver medalist at the World U20 Championships in 2014.
 
Pioneer of the glide technique and one of the most influential shot putters in history, O’Brien set the last of his 10 world records with a 19.30m/63-4 at the Albuquerque Invitational on August 1, 1959. That added two inches to the existing WR set in March of that year by Dallas Long.
 
O’Brien won two Olympic gold medals, taking the top spot in 1952 and 1956, and added a silver in 1960 and a fourth-place finish in ‘64. He developed a revolutionary new technique in 1951 where he started with his back to the landing area. Explaining the rationale for his technique, O’Brien said, “It's an application of physics which says that the longer you apply pressure or force to an inanimate object, the farther it will go. My style is geared to allow me to apply force for the longest time before releasing the shot."
 
Setting his first WR in 1953 as the first man to reach 18.00m/59-0.75, O’Brien was also first past the 60-foot barrier with an 18.42m/60-5.25 at Los Angeles in 1954. His lengthy career saw him set a personal best at age 34 in 1966 of 19.69m/64-7.25. O’Brien was also a talented discus thrower, notching an AAU title in 1955. He died in 2007, age 75, while competing in a masters’ swim meet.
 
Other historical performances of note from the July 27-August 2 period in USATF history:

• July 27 — Betty Robinson American record in women’s 100y, 11.2 at Chicago, Illinois in 1929
• July 28 — Jim Fuchs World record in men’s shot put, 17.79m/58-4.5 at Oslo, Norway in 1949
• July 29 — John Kuck World record in men’s shot put, 15.87m/52-0.75 at Amsterdam, Netherlands in 1928
• July 30 — Suzanne Knott American record in women’s 400m, 56.3 at Braunschweig, Germany in 1963
• July 31 — Wyomia Tyus World record in women’s 100m, 11.1 at Kyiv, Ukraine in 1965
• August 2 — Lillian Copeland American record in women’s discus, 40.59m/133-2 at Los Angeles, California in 1932

 
Other notable performances from the past week included:

• Katie Nageotte cleared a world-leading 4.92m/16-1.25 at the American Track League meet in Marietta, Georgia, moving her to #6 on the all-time world outdoor performer list and #3 on the U.S. equivalent.
• Chase Ealey had a world-leading 19.41m/63-8.25 to win the women’s shot put at the Iron Wood Invitational.
• A 1:43.84 at the Bigger Friendly III meet in Newberg, Oregon, elevated Donavan Brazier to the top of the 2020 men’s world 800m list.
• Kara Winger’s 64.44m/211-5 women’s javelin winner at the Iron Wood Invitational gave her the U.S. lead for 2020 and is a distance only she and Brittany Borman have ever bettered on the national all-time list. 
• Riley Dolezal speared a season-best 79.39m/260-5 at the Iron Wood Invitational to take over the U.S. men’s javelin lead this season.

 
Now in its 19th year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week and features the athlete on USATF.org. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.
 
2020 Winners: January 9, Miranda Melville; January 16, Paul Perry; January 23, Natosha Rogers; January 30, Tyler Day, February 6, Devin Dixon; February 13, Elle Purrier; February 20, Tori Franklin; February 27, Sandi Morris; March 4, Abdi Abdirahman; March 12 Marielle Hall; March 19, Tim Tollefson; April 2, Louise Ritter; April 9, Francie Larrieu Smith; April 16, Erin Gilreath; April 23, Suzy Powell; April 30, Joe Dial; May 7, Dawn Ellerbe; May 14, Ramona Pagel; May 21, Brian Oldfield; May 28, Jackie Joyner-Kersee; June 4, Jesse Owens; June 11, Mary Decker Slaney; June 18, Leroy Burrell; June 25, Sandra Farmer-Patrick; July 2, Jim Ryun; July 9, Evelyn Ashford; July 16, Wilma Rudolph & Shelby Houlihan; July 23, Pat Daniels & Ryan Crouser; July 30, Michael Norman & Mildred “Babe” Didriksen; August 6, Valarie Allman & Parry O’Brien.
 
We welcome your nominations!
 
To nominate an athlete for USATF Athlete of the Week, please send a detailed email about his/her performance to communications@usatf.org.
 
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