Olympic discus star Valarie Sion returns to Rathdrum throws meet

Rathdrum will again put North Idaho on the international throwing map when Valarie Sion returns to the Iron Wood Classic, the meet where she set an American discus record in 2020 before a crowd was shut out by the pandemic. This year’s field is expected to include former Olympians from 13 countries, giving local fans a rare chance to watch world-class shot put, hammer, discus and javelin competition close to home.

Sion, who competed under her former name, Valarie Allman, made history at the Iron Wood Throws Center on Aug. 1, 2020, with a throw of 230 feet, 2 inches, or 70.15 meters. It was the first time an American woman broke the 70-meter barrier in the discus. Since then, she has gone on to win Olympic gold in Tokyo and again at Paris 2024, and World Athletics currently lists her as the world No. 1 women’s discus thrower with a personal best of 73.52 meters set April 12, 2025.

The 2026 Iron Wood Classic is scheduled for June 20 at the Iron Wood Throwers Center in Rathdrum, according to USA Track & Field. Official meet information says Thursday’s events will be a USATF-sanctioned, World Athletics F-level meet for younger athletes starting at 11 a.m., while Saturday will be a World Athletics Bronze-level meet on the Continental Tour and USATF Tour. Saturday’s competition carries a $30,000 purse.

Meet director TJ Crater said Sion reached out to the event and organizers were eager to welcome her back because of her existing connection to Rathdrum and the center. The return gives the community something few small towns ever see: athletes using a local facility as both a proving ground and a steppingstone to bigger stages later in the summer, including the Prefontaine Classic and Gold Medal meets.

The Iron Wood Throws Center has grown into a 10-acre indoor-outdoor training facility dedicated to shot put, discus, hammer and javelin. Bart Templeman bought five acres in Rathdrum in 2013, added another five acres in 2016 for a javelin runway, and by 2018 nearly 7,500 athletes and coaches had come through the camp. Templeman created the classic to give national-level throwers a world-class place to compete, with prize money helping professionals chase World and Olympic team opportunities. For Kootenai County, that means international-caliber sport, more regional visibility, and a summer attraction that reaches far beyond a niche track meet.