Sports

Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2008

USATF gives AG, Cal Poly grad Brown Trafton highest honor after winning gold in Beijing Olympics

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INDIANAPOLIS — Olympic gold medalist Stephanie Brown Trafton, a former Arroyo Grande High and Cal Poly star, was named as the female winner of the 2008 Jesse Owens Award by USA Track & Field.

Along with gold-medal decathlete Bryan Clay, Trafton, who beat the odds to win gold in the women’s discus, will be presented with the award given to the country’s top male and female performers on Dec. 6 in Reno, Nev.

“All of us at USA Track & Field take great pride in saluting Bryan and Stephanie for their accomplishments during the 2008 season,” USATF CEO Doug Logan said in a news release. “Their focus and determination, and their unwillingness to settle for anything less than gold, epitomize the best qualities we can hope for in our athletes. We congratulate them on their performances and wish them continued success in 2009.”

A 2004 Olympian who has never won a national title in the women's discus, Trafton finished third at the Olympic Trials and was not expected to challenge for a spot on the podium at the Olympic Games in Beijing.

But she qualified for the final and took the lead with her initial throw of 64.74 meters, which was less than five feet off her personal best.

No one in the Olympic field was able to answer that performance, and Brown Trafton became the first American woman to win the gold medal in the discus since Lillian Copeland in 1932.

It was the first U.S. medal of any kind in this event since Leslie Jean Deniz won silver in the boycott-afflicted 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Brown Trafton makes history again by becoming the first ever female thrower to be presented with the Jesse Owens Award.

“The success I have had this year has been monumental and much appreciation goes to USATF's High Performance programs and their willingness to support my event area that, before 2008, had not won any medals in two decades,” Trafton said. “The coaches, committee members, staff, and media team at USATF can take credit for their role in making history with me this year as well as helping to securing a bright future for the sport.”