Sports

Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2008

Stephanie Brown Trafton will hang this gold medal in the garage while she eyes another in four years

Former Arroyo Grande High and Cal Poly star won her first gold medal at an international event Monday, but her golden run has just begun

Comments (0) |

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 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 Brown Trafton, who now lives in Galt, first dreamed of becoming an Olympic athlete at the age of four. Monday, she 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. (The previous medal won by an American in that category, a silver, was awarded to Leslie Deniz in 1984.)

With her medal hung around her neck afterward, Brown Trafton cried as the “Star-Spangled Banner” played for her at the Bird’s Nest. A few hours later, she answered questions posed by the Tribune via e-mail. Here are some excerpts:

• 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 are 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.