In the wake of Mykolas Alekna’s second World Record ratification, I can’t stop thinking about Ramona as we accelerate into World Championships. That place is special. Caleb Seal built it, and in three short years, discus throwers have come in droves. If they shank one into the adjacent pasture, they do appear again as if from nowhere, materializing from the fields. He built it, they came.
Yes, the winds are great. Yes, Caleb has a knack for choosing the right ring for the right day, and he’ll stand by his methodical decision-making process, postponing the start of even the World Athletics Bronze Invitational to be sure conditions will be optimal for all athletes. (He VERY nearly changed the ring for the women’s comp that saw ridiculous U.S. discus throwers’ results on Saturday, April 12 this year, and I believe the results would have been the same if he had.) But there’s more to Ramona than the physical place. I’d been thinking it for a while, but a friend said it out loud the other day:
When discus throwers go there, they believe.
Why does Daniel Stahl throw 70m often out of that one ring on home soil in Sweden? What was going through Suzy Powell-Roos’ head in 2007 when she set the American Record on Maui at the aptly-named Big Wind meet? How come people can name multiple epic showdowns from Salinas in the ‘80’s and ‘90’s? Why has Triton not attracted the same vitriol that Ramona did this year, despite offering favorable conditions and resulting in big throws for Americans and visitors alike?
At venues that inspire, people bring their best selves. They imagine what’s possible, put themselves in a position to achieve their dreams, and then execute. They can fantasize all they want about big throws, but once in that field, they still have to perform. They believe, and rise to the occasion. Watching so many more men and women do just that in 2025 after Mykolas proved the impossible was possible in 2024 was jaw-dropping, but it doesn’t stop there.
They all take that confidence, that learning, with them.
The phenomenon in discus throwing that we’re all currently eating up did not start in Ramona. Daniel lit a match long ago, with all of his potential and big, personality-showcasing throws. Kristjan Ceh set the discus world on fire in 2022 with his consistency and World title. The men’s standard keeps rising. Thinking about the noise of the crowd as Daniel’s Budapest bomb kept flying in 2023 still gives me chills. The fierceness of the Tokyo Olympic men’s final was brutal. Matty Denny’s multiple Diamond League titles without a global medal yet was very cool foreshadowing. Valarie Allman’s dominance is absolutely unprecedented. Laulauga Tausaga’s resounding World title made literal history. Jorinde van Klinken has been a 70m discus thrower since 2021. Sandra Elkasevic’s tenure is incredible.
People were throwing far, but something happened when imaginations were set alight by the construction and promise of Ramona. As a thrower, I’m oddly interested in running. I can’t tell you anything about pacing or workouts or actual thresholds or improvement, but I can’t help, now, thinking about how Roger Bannister opened the floodgates for breaking the 4-minute mile. He did it, then everyone else did. Mykolas broke the world record, then Matty would have if he hadn’t again. Kristjan has three meets over 72m this year (as does Matty).
For the first time ever this year, FIVE men in one competition threw 70m in Ramona. A few days prior, Matty’s series-average day of 72.73m (on my birthday no less) will be something I enjoy remembering for a long, long time, especially seeing him and Dale deeply appreciate it for hours afterward. Watching Lagi prove something to herself after a year of difficulty made me weep into my clipboard. The focus, intention, and execution of Val, the way she did not show up to the ring until she was ready and then calmly, with conviction, put the pieces together to crack the top 10 in world history was a master class.
Then, those athletes went out into the rest of the world, and the world responded. And they kept fighting. Daniel, Kristjan, and Matty all threw 70m at the Paavo Nurmi Games in June. Mykolas has five meets on the season over 71m, the four of them besides his WR in Lithuania, London, Texas, and California. Sam Mattis, one of those five 70m throwers in the A section in Ramona, came out swinging at USAs, and appears primed for Tokyo. Val’s winning streak was threatened a bit in Rome, and she rose to the top, challenged by some of the same competitors she passed in R3 in that field of dreams in April. Ralford Mullings, the NCAA Champion, recorded 72m in Ramona and then, immediately, victory in Brussels.
Discus throwers, who always believed in themselves, now believe in the unbelievable.
The sky is, as ever, the limit. It just feels closer, in part, because of Ramona.
