2 World Champions from San Diego County Crash at U.S. Olympic Trials

The U.S. Olympic Trials proved cruel to a world champion and an Olympic gold medalist Monday — a day after another world titlist failed to make the team for Paris.

Track fans exploded in anguish when Tokyo Games 800-meter champion Athing Mu fell in the finals and took last.

Less attention was given Laulauga “Lagi” Tausaga’s failure to advance to the finals of the discus throw a year after winning a surprise gold medal at the Budapest world championships.

Spring Valley native Tausaga, whose mural adorns her alma mater Mount Miguel High School, fouled all three times — throwing the 2.2-pound discus out of the sector at least twice to the left.

Only three tries are given in the preliminary round.

Tokyo Olympic Champion Valarie Allman had the best throw in Monday’s qualifying rounds, reaching an Olympic Trials record 232 feet 7 inches on her only attempt.

Jayden Ulrich and Veronica Fraley had the No. 2 and 3 throws in also advancing to Thursday’s final. But their marks of 208-8 and 206-2 are far behind Tausaga’s best toss this year of 214-6 — back in April.

Tausaga sped through the Media Tent’s “mixed zone” after her event, shaking her head “no” to an interview request.

As defending world champion, she’s automatically qualified to compete in the World Athletics Championships set for September 2025 in Tokyo.

Tausaga thus joined 2022 world hammer throw champion Brooke Andersen on the sidelines for Paris.

In Sunday’s finals, Andersen — a graduate of Rancho Buena Vista High School in Vista — also fouled three times.

Her best hammer mark in 2024 — and the No. 1 throw by an American this year — is 262-2. The winning mark at the Olympic Trials was 245-0 by Annette Echikunwoke.

In the 2021 Olympic Trials, also held at the University of Oregon’s Hayward field, Tausaga also fouled in the prelims.

But after winning gold in 2023, she said: “I go back to watch the video, and I’m just as surprised as the crowd. At this point, I am the crowd. I’m having an out-of-body experience. And I just remember sitting there and I was like, I’m so glad I didn’t let myself give up.”

A story in olympics.com said the win affirmed not just her decision to stay in the sport, but her choice to believe in herself.

“It was absolutely giving the bird to my former self and being like, how dare you deny yourself this greatness?” she said. “How dare you say that you’re not good enough when you are absolutely just as good?”