U.S. long shot peaks at perfect time, wins gold in women’s discus

BEIJING — All week, Stephanie Brown Trafton, a resident of Galt, a small town south of Sacramento, had hints of the miracle that was about to occur.

Brown Trafton, 28, who didn’t qualify for the finals at the 2004 Olympics, and barely earned her trip to Beijing at this summer’s U.S. trials and botched her first two attempts in qualifying, was the surprise gold-medal winner in Monday night’s women’s discus competition.

Her initial toss of 212 feet, 5 inches held up throughout the steamy conditions at the National Olympic Stadium. She had made it this far only because her final qualifying attempt Friday turned out to be the round’s best.

Cuba’s Yarelys Barrios took the silver medal at 208-9, and Ukraine’s Olena Antonova the bronze at 205-4.

The gold medal was America’s first in the event since Lillian Copeland’s in 1932, and its first of any kind in the women’s discus since Leslie Deniz’s silver in 1984. Both those Olympics took place in Los Angeles.

Her love of sports goes back to the 1984 Olympics and a famous gymnast.

“I had a Mary Lou Retton leotard that I wore all the time,” Brown Trafton said, “and I grew out of it quite quickly. I was 6 foot by the time I was in junior high.”

She received a basketball scholarship to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, but after tearing a knee ligament, she decided to focus exclusively on track and field.

“I came into the 2004 Olympics just out of college,” a nearly breathless Brown Trafton said. “I was very nervous. But I told people, when you make the final, anything can happen. I had a far throw, and nobody else stepped up.”

At the 2008 trials, in Eugene, Ore., Brown Trafton took the third and final spot. And until Monday night, on the grandest of stages, she had never won an international competition.

“I won a gold medal!” she shouted to herself afterward, as if she still needed to convince herself of that fact. “I almost started to cry on the victory lap.”

She did on the medal stand.

The result may have stunned the track and field world, but only confirmed what the 6-foot-4 gold medalist, had been feeling all week.

Brown Trafton said she modeled her technique on that of Estonia’s Gerd Kanter, the 2007 men’s world champion. On Friday, before qualifying, she watched film of Kanter in the lounge at the athletes’ village.

“After about 15 minutes of video, I started to walk back to the room,” she said. “And who did I see walking in my direction? Gerd Kanter. That was a good sign for me.”

Another came when qualifying began. Her initial toss wasn’t long enough for her to reach the finals. She fouled on her second throw. That left just one more opportunity.

She said a prayer and let it fly. Brown Trafton’s toss of nearly 206 feet was the round’s best.

“That was another sign,” said the 2003 graduate of Cal Poly-SLO.

“It’s an awesome feeling,” she said. “I knew I had a shot at medaling here, but I didn’t know it was going to be a gold medal.”

Tears sliding down her face, she sang along with her hand resting over her heart.

“I know that by far this meet was not in the top five this year as far as competitiveness,” she said, “but I know that when it comes to the Olympic Games, if you make the finals anything can happen.”