US star Valarie Allman is currently the woman to beat in the women's discus, and goes into 2024 hoping to defend both her Olympic and Diamond League titles.
Allman claimed her first Diamond Trophy in 2021, the same year she claimed gold at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, and she made it three titles in three years with another triumph at the Diamond League Final in Eugene last year.
So who better to talk us through the perfect technique for the women's discus?
The discus is one of three throwing events in the Wanda Diamond League, along with the shot put and the javelin. Like the other two, it is a highly technical event which requires pitch-perfect technique.
In the women's event, the discus itself is 18 centimetres in diameter and weighs one kilogram. In the men's event, it is slightly bigger, at 22 centimetres and two kilograms.
For the perfect grip, says Allman, the thrower needs to wrap their fingers around the top face: "Instead of throwing it like a frisbee, you want it to come off your index finger"
The throw itself begins with the wind-up, which sees the thrower take their stance at the back of the ring.
"The first thing I do is step inside the ring and compose myself," says Allman. From there, she aims to spin on her left leg towards the centre of the ring, which she wants to hit "with as much power as possible."
"It's kind of like a rubber band," she says. "I aim to collect energy in the middle and then release it forwards towards the throw."
As Allman's coach Zebulon Sion says, the aim is to gain as much speed as possible through the spin. "If you think about a figure-skater: when they bring all their limbs together, that's when they really accelerate."
Once she's through the spin, Allman opens up at the front of the ring for the throw itself: "You bring it all the way around with a big chest and then that's the moment when you get to see how it's going to fly."
The Olympic champion favours the reverse style technique, in which she continues to spin within the ring after release. Others, like six-time Diamond League champion Sandra Perkovic, prefer a fixed-feet style, where they stop their feet dead at the point of release.
Either way, says Allman, the right equipment is crucial, and smooth-soled shoes are essential to get the most out of your technique. "In discus, you are spinning and you want to move without very much friction."
