Allman Nominated for World Honor

OLYMPIC DISCUS CHAMPION Valarie Allman '17 is among 10 nominees for the Female World Athlete of the Year award from World Athletics, the governing body of track and field. 

Allman is joined by two other Americans – 400-meter hurdler Sydney McLaughlin and 800-meter runner Athing Mu, each a gold medalist. The other nominees: Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (Puerto Rico, 100 hurdles), Sifan Hassan (Netherlands, distance), Faith Kipyegon (Kenya, 1,500), Mariya Lasitskene (Russia, high jump), Shaunae Miller-Uibo (Bahamas, 400), Yulimar Rojas (Venezuela, triple jump), and Elaine Thompson-Herah (Jamaico, sprints).

The field will be cut to five after a process that includes a public voting component through Nov. 6 on the World Athletics Facebook and Twitter sites. The men's and women's winners will be announced at the World Athletics Awards in December. 

In her first Olympic Games, Allman opened with a throw of 226-3 (68.98 meters) and the distance stood through six rounds and a rainstorm to give her the victory. 

This year, Allman competed in 12 meets in eight different countries, and won nine. She dominated the competition in Tokyo in her first Olympic Games on Aug. 2 and won the Diamond League title at the famed Weltklasse meet in Zurich, Switzerland, on Sept. 9.

Allman broke her own American record on Sept. 12, throwing 233-5 (71.16 meters) on her first attempt to win the centennial ISTAF meet in Berlin. The throw outdistanced her previous U.S. record of 230-2 (70.15m) – achieved in Rathdrum, Idaho, on Aug. 1, 2020 -- and was the longest in the world in 2021. Allman, who also threw 225-8 (68.80m) on her sixth attempt, now has 12 of the 14 farthest throws in American history. 

Allman, the 2018 Pac-12 Woman of the Year and a six-time All-American at Stanford, moved to No. 19 on the all-time world list, joining Croatian Sandra Perkovic (71.41m) as the only throwers to break into the top 20 in the 21st century.

While we're honoring Allman, it's a good time to acknowledge Stanford alums still prominent in the track and field and running world, and their 2021 highlights (season bests in parentheses):

Valarie Allman '17

• Olympic women's discus champion and broke own American record (233-5, 71.16m)

Olivia Baker '18

• No. 21 in U.S. and No. 63 in the world in women's 800 (2:00.43)

Elise Cranny '18

• Olympic women's 5,000 finalist, placing 13th (14:55.98)

Chris Derrick '12

• No. 25 in U.S. and No. 145 in world in the men's 10,000 (28:09.06)

Tai Dinger '18

• On Aug. 6, became the 595th American to break 4 minutes in the mile (3:57.72)

Malindi Elmore '02

• Canadian was ninth in Olympic women's marathon (2:30:59)

Grant Fisher '19

• Olympic finalist in the 10,000 (27:11.29), placing fifth, and 5,000 (13:02.53), placing ninth    

Vanessa Fraser '17

• 13th in Olympic Trials women's 5,000 final (15:17.26)

Sara Bei Hall '05

• No. 2 in U.S. and No. 82 in world in women's marathon (2:27:19)

Garrett Heath '08

• 14th in Olympic Trials men's 5,000 final (13:25.72)

Mackenzie Little '19

• Australian was Olympic finalist in the women's javelin, placing eighth (204-7, 62.37m)

Sean McGorty '17

• Seventh in Olympic Trials men's 3,000 steeplechase final (8:20.77)

Rebecca Mehra '16

• 11th in Olympic Trials women's 1,500 final (4:04.90)

Fiona O'Keeffe '20

• 20th in Olympic Trials women's 10,000 final (33:03.09)

Summer Pierson '00

• 17th at Olympic Trials women's discus (181-3, 55.25m)

Jacob Riley '11

• 29th in Olympic men's marathon (2:16:26)

Claudia Saunders '16

• Eighth in French championships women's 800 (2:03.51)

Steve Solomon '16

• Australian was an Olympic semifinalist in the men's 400 (44.94)

Katerina Stefanidi '12

• Greek was fourth in Olympic women's pole vault final (15-9, 4.80m)

Harrison Williams '18

• Fourth in Olympic Trials decathlon (8,439)