Gophers’ Shelby Frank finishes fifth in discus at U.S. Olympic trials

Shelby Frank missed out on an Olympic berth but impressed in both her events.

The Minnesota Star Tribune
June 28, 2024 at 3:54AM
Gophers track and field standout Shelby Frank. (Richard Tsong-Taatarii)

Gophers senior track and field standout Shelby Frank threw a discus a school-record 201 feet, 11 inches at the U.S. Olympic trials on Thursday in Eugene, Ore., good for a fifth-place finish.

Frank’s best toss came on her third of six attempts, breaking her previous record of 200-2, also set at Oregon’s Hayward Field earlier this month. Frank finished fifth in the discus at the United States championships last year.

Valarie Allman, the defending Olympic gold medalist in the discus, won the event with ease, throwing 232-0, followed by two college athletes, Vanderbilt’s Veronica Fraley (205-5) and Louisville’s Jayden Ulrich (205-2). Erika Beistle of Grand Valley State was fourth at 205-1.

Frank’s Olympic trials ended without a berth in the Paris Games but with two impressive showings. She also competed in the hammer throw, finishing seventh at 225-4 on Sunday. Frank, from Grand Forks, N.D., was a first-team All-America in both the discus and the hammer throw this season.

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