Tausaga clinches discus gold at Worlds, smashes personal best by 4 meters.

BUDAPEST, Hungary—Discus Thrower Laulauga Tausaga Shocks the World with Record-Breaking Performance

Discus throw is a game of centimeters. But when Laulauga⁣ Tausaga unleashed a throw that surpassed her personal best by over four meters (13 feet) at ⁢the world championships on Tuesday, the crowd—and even Tausaga ​herself—were left in awe.

“I ‍just screamed,” Tausaga exclaimed, recalling the moment her throw secured her the title of the first American woman to‍ win a world gold medal in discus. “I was like, I don’t know how to contain this emotion.”

Tausaga’s remarkable achievement ⁢came in Budapest, where she claimed ​victory with a fifth-round throw of 69.49 meters (228 feet),​ surpassing her previous record by an astonishing 4.03⁢ meters. This unexpected triumph propelled her ahead of her teammate and world leader Valarie Allman, securing her ⁢a ‍well-deserved ‍first-place finish.

Reflecting on her journey, Tausaga ‌shared,‍ “I had such a rough beginning to my season and, you ​know, I didn’t think ⁢I⁣ was gonna be​ able to come out of it. I’m just proud, very, very proud.”

While Allman may have felt‌ disappointed with her silver⁤ medal after leading for most of the competition, she found solace in the fact that she lost to a⁤ fellow American athlete.

“If I could pick ‌someone​ that ‍I would want to win, I would absolutely be so honored to be sitting at the podium with another American,” Allman ⁣graciously expressed.

Tausaga, originally from Oahu ⁤and later moving ⁣to San Diego at the age of 7, chose Iowa for college because she‌ felt it was time to embrace a new challenge. As she put it, “it was time for me to get, you know, locked in in a ‍snowstorm.”

Being of Hawaiian and Samoan descent, Tausaga expressed her heartfelt concern for the recent fires ‌that devastated Maui, ⁢causing the destruction of the town of Lahaina and ⁤claiming the⁣ lives of over 100 people, with many ‍still‍ missing. She shared,​ “I’m constantly praying for them. Pacific Islanders stick together.”

In the final round,‍ Allman had one last opportunity to surpass her teammate but fell short. As Tausaga stepped into the ring for her final throw, already guaranteed the world title, tears welled up in her ⁤eyes. Her first four rounds included two fouls and a throw of 52 meters.

“That was one of the​ best series of my life, considering I‍ had two fouls and I was‌ able to make​ it up,” Tausaga reflected. “I’m ⁤just glad to say that I mentally got over that hump.”

It’s remarkable to think that Tausaga⁣ wasn’t particularly interested in sports during her upbringing. She dedicated ‌her gold medal to‍ her⁤ mother, who encouraged her to pursue athletic endeavors.

“I just wanted to ⁤stay home and be a bookworm,” Tausaga admitted.‌ “She was like ‘No. …⁢ You are getting very strong, so we might as well go do something.”

Her journey began with volleyball, but that ⁣didn’t captivate her. Then came basketball, but she lacked the necessary speed. It⁣ was ‌in high school that Tausaga discovered her talent for throwing shot put, which became her true⁢ passion.