ARETHA HILL THURMOND
Event: Discus Throw
Height: 5-10
Weight: 235
PR: 65.86m/216-1 (2004)
Born: August 14, 1976, in Seattle, Wash.
Current Residence: Opelika, Ala.
High School: Renton (Wash.) '94
College: Washington '98
Coach: Jerry Clayton
Agent: Paul Doyle
Club: Nike

Career Highlights: 2008 Olympic Trials champion; Three-time USA champion ('03, '04, '06); 1999, 2003 Pan Am Games gold medalist

Hill has been among the top, and most consistent, American throwers for the last 10 years. Hill returned to the top of the podium after having a child in spring of 2007, winning her fourth career national title and second Olympic Trials crown with a toss of 65.20m/213-11 to make her third Olympic Team...She easily won her third national title at the 2006 AT&T USA Outdoor Championships with a throw of 62.50m/205-1 which qualified her for the IAAF World Cup where she was elected team captain and placed a second with 61.83m/202-10 on her second throw of the competition…She made her second Olympic Team in 2004 by winning her second national title at the Olympic Trials...she posted the top 10 marks during the 2004 season in the U.S. by a woman…in addition to winning her first U.S. discus title in 2003, Thurmond proved her dominance over other U.S. women’s discus throwers by posting nine of the top 11 throws by Americans that season…not bad for someone who embarked on her track career on a lost bet. She had wanted to play softball in high school, but her physical education teacher wanted her to go out for track…they made a bet that if he could beat her in one-on-one basketball, she would give up softball…he won, and she kept her part of the bargain. She went on to win three state discus title. Coach Ken Shannon says that Thurmond can be the first American to throw 70m (229-8). She says that after a breakthrough 1996 campaign put her on the Olympic team, she pressed too hard in 1997... says, ‘I made an Olympic team…I’ve gotten to see the world, thanks to track and field. I’ve had some great successes…now I want to go back to the Olympics and be a medal winner.’…barely missed returning to Olympics in 2000 when she placed 4th at the Olympic Trials…had son Devon Theoppolis on June 4, 2007...Hill was a member of the Project 30 Task Force and is a member of USATF's newly reconstituted Board of Directors.

2009: USA Outdoor runner-up (62.51m/205-1)...4th at Nike Prefontaine Classic (60.04m/196-11)...2nd at Reebok Grand Prix (61.71m/202-5).
2008: 10th at Olympic Games (59.80m/196-2), 2nd in qualifying (61.90m/203-1)...Olympic Trials champion (65.20m/213-11)...2nd at Reebok Grand Prix (63.06m/206-11)...ranked #10 in the world (#2 U.S.) by T&FN...best of 65.20m/213-11.
2007: 6th at USA Outdoors (54.96m/180-4)…best of 54.96m/180-4…only competed in one meet due to return from pregnancy.
2006: USA Outdoor champion (62.50m/205-01)…2nd at IAAF World Cup (61.83m/202-10)…1st at Modesto Relays (64.41m/211-4)…3rd at Ostrava (62.90m/206-4)…ranked #6 in the world (#1 U.S.) by T&FN…best of 64.41m/211-4.
2005: 3rd at USA Outdoors (61.77m/202-08)…11th in Group B qualifying at World Outdoors (47.15m/154-8) … 2nd at Halle (63.22m/207-5)…5th at Doha (62.00/203-5)…1st at Zagreb (61.08m/200-4)…1st at Lapua (64.56m/211-9)…1st at Dubnica (63.58m/208-7)…4th at Berlin (61.17m/200-8)…3rd at World Athletics Final (60.68m/199-1)…1st at Athens, Ga. (61.95-203-3)…ranked #1 in the U.S. by T&FN…best of 64.56m/211-9.
2004: Olympic Trials champion (63.55m/208-6)…10th in Group B qualifying at Olympic Games (58.82m/193-0)…1st at Mt. SAC (63.37m/207-11)…1st at Marietta (65.86m/216-1PR)…1st at Huntington Beach (65.76m/215-9)…1st at La Jolla (64.73m/212-4)…1st at San Diego (65.38m/214-6)…1st at adidas Oregon (64.73m/212-4)…1st at Payton Jordan US Open (63.79m/209-3)…1st at Grand Prix Brazil (63.43m/208-1)…1st at Szombathely (63.23m/207-5)…1st at Thessaloniki (63.19/207-3)…4th at the IAAF World Athletics Final (63.43m/208-1)…ranked #7 in the world (#1 U.S.) by T&FN…best of 65.86m/216-1.
2003: USA champion (63.98m/209-11)…Pan Am Games gold medalist (63.30m/207-8)…1st at Carson (64.71m/212-4, U.S. Leader)…10th in qualifying group at World Outdoor (50.79m/166-7)…1st at Gresham (63.44m/208-2)…1st at Mt. SAC (63.13m/207-1)…1st at Belem (62.55m/205-2)…2nd at Monaco (65.10m/213-7 U.S. Leader)…ranked #8 in world (#1 U.S.) by T&FN ...best of 65.10m/213-7.
2002: 3rd at USA Outdoors DT (62.41m/204-9)…won DT at Nike Prefontaine Classic (63.48m/208-3)… 2nd at Oracle U.S. Open (63.21m/207-4) and adidas Oregon Track Classic (63.40m/208-0)…ranked #10 in world (#3 U.S.) by T&FN…best of 65.21m/213-11.
2001: 4th at U.S. Outdoors (59.96m/196-09)…3rd at Modesto Relays (61.64m/202-03)…1st at Sea Ray Relays (61.28m/201-0) …ranked 4th in U.S. by T&FN… best of 61.64m/ 202-3.
2000: 4th in DT finals at Olympic Trials (60.70m/199-02)...6th at Pontiac Grand Prix (58.75m/192-9)...ranked #4 in U.S. by T&FN...best of 62.90m/206-4.
1999: Won gold at the 1999 Pan Am Games (59.06m/193-9)…3rd at USA Outdoors (193-10)... 23rd in qualifying at World Champs (188-8)...best of 203-11.
1998: Threw American Collegiate Record of 215-3 in San Diego in March, only one American had ever thrown farther... 2nd in NCAA DT (192-5)...3rd in USA Outdoors DT (198-5)... won Pac-10 DT (208-11)...ranked #2 U.S. in DT by T&FN...bests of 52-2.5 and 215-3.
1997: 4th in DT (190-7) at NCAA...5th in DT (196-5) at USA Outdoors...6th in DT (184-1) at World University Games...3rd in DT at Pac-10 (189-10); 4th in SP (48-9)...also 162-7 PR in the hammer... ranked #7 U.S. in DT by T&FN...bests of 50-2 and 196-7.
1996: 3rd in DT (190-5) at Olympic Trials...34th in DT qualifying (183-10) at Olympic Games...3rd in DT (189-10) at NCAA; 16th in SP (44-7.5)... won DT (195-9) at Pac-10; 3rd in SP (50-3.5)... ranked #3 in U.S. in DT by T&FN...bests of 51-0.75 and 198-6.
1995: 4th in Pac-10 DT (166-7)...7th in DT (173-3 PR) at NCAA...5th in DT (158-11) at USA Juniors...bests of 46-1.25 and 173-3.
1994: Won Washington HS DT and SP…3rd at Golden West (157-1)…best of 165-9
1993: Won Washington HS DT…best of 155-9.
1992: Won Washington HS DT…best of 142-4.
1991: 2nd in Washington HS state DT.

6/24/09