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Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2008

Stephanie Brown Trafton plans to try to win another gold medal in 2012 London Olympics

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While Stephanie Brown Trafton has achieved the ultimate in Olympic competition, she’s not content with just one gold medal.

The Cal Poly and Arroyo Grande High School graduate, who won the gold in the women’s discus competition in Beijing this week, said she plans to compete again when the Olympic games move to London four years from now.

On the fourth day of its track meet Monday, the United States team had still not won a gold medal – until Brown Trafton threw a discus 212 feet, 5 inches on her first attempt. That toss gave the U.S. team the gold in an event that had long been dominated by Eastern-bloc countries.

This was the second Olympic appearance for Brown Trafton, who placed 11th in Athens four years ago. The 6-foot-4 athlete, who now lives in Galt, came up best in a field of 12, becoming the first to win the gold for the United States in that competition since Lillian Copeland did it in 1932.

After her victory, Brown Trafton answered some questions posed by the Tribune in a quick e-mail interview:

After the 2004 Olympics, what did you think you could achieve the next time around?

The 2004 Olympics was a great experience for me. I was able to feel the pressure of Olympic competition and experience the Opening Ceremonies. It gave me a taste of my Olympic dream and made me want to work harder for the 2008 Olympics.

What did you do differently to prepare?

Nothing different. The preparations are the same for most meets. The Olympic Games is not a time to be trying different things. I took care of my training commitments of weightlifting and throwing schedules. I made sure that I had good rest and had massage and ice bath treatments on my normal schedules. A lot of people come to the games thinking that they need to switch to something "better" when all they need to do is trust that the plan that has been laid before them will be a plan of prosperity.

How did you feel right before you threw? What did you do to get psyched?

Relaxation and patience were the keys for me to throw far. I was singing a gospel song based in the bible verse Joshua 1:9. This verse actually carried me to a winning toss and I knew that whatever happened at the end of the day I was not afraid of loss or success. Winning or coming in 10th place did not determine my worth as a person, but my worth in God’s eyes are much more then a gold medal.

Where are you going to keep the medal?

I want to hang it up in the garage next to all of the other medals from my local meets this year . . . up on the deer antlers.

What next? Do you plan to return for the next Olympics as well?

I am excited about 2012. My mother (who passed away when I was young) was British and I have a lot of family over there supporting me.

-- Patrick S. Pemberton