PARIS: Newly crowned Olympic discus champion Valarie Allman has hit out at Michael Johnson’s lucrative new athletics circuit being launched in 2025, which will only feature track events. The 29-year-old American sealed back-to-back golds at the Stade de France on Monday after an absorbing battle with China’s Feng Bin and Croatia’s two-time Olympic champion Sandra Elkasevic.

Afterwards Allman said the competition had demonstrated that throwing disciplines were an integral part of track and field, and should be embraced more enthusiastically. It was a clear reference to the new Grand Slam Track series announced by US Olympic legend Johnson in June, which will involve four meetings next year with total prize money of around $12 million (11 million euros). Johnson has defended the decision to exclude field events from the circuit, saying time constraints do not allow it. However, Allman launched a staunch defence of her craft after clinching her gold medal, adamant that there is untapped potential in her sport if marketed properly. 

“I absolutely think that there is such potential excitement for field events to be embraced,” she said. “I think that some of these new circuits that have been created, it’s definitely disheartening. “And I think it’s going to be interesting how they play out with them being quite exclusive to just the track portion of the sport. I think that in all events, particularly the throwing events, there is such excitement. It’s just all about creating a storyline and embracing it.”

Johnson’s new circuit is being launched in an attempt to provide more consistent match-ups between the “best of the best” in track events. Allman noted that field event competitors routinely face off against each other every season.

“Most of the time we are the ones that show up and compete the most out of the year,” she said. “We are willing to go head to head all the time and put on great battles. “And I think that that could really be embraced and made exciting.”

Allman’s stance was endorsed by her rival Elkasevic, the 2012 and 2016 Olympic gold medallist, who took bronze on Monday. “There are 77,000 people in the stadium in the morning and in the evening watching track and field,” Elkasevic said.

“The most excitement is on the field, because you have like a one-and-a-half-hour or two-hour fight between the best discus throwers, the best triple jumpers, the best pole vaulters. “Runners are only on the track for 10 seconds, 20 seconds, one minute—we are on the stage for so much longer.

“I think we should respect the throwers and all field events.” – AFP