Jayden Ulrich, an NCAA Division 1 indoor and outdoor All-American at Louisville and the first American-born track and field competitor in program history to compete in the Olympics, joins DyeStat editor Erik Boal to discuss her preparation for the Aug. 2 women's discus throw qualification round in Paris. Ulrich, 21, is the second athlete in program history to participate at the Olympics, following Nigerian women's discus thrower Chinwe Okoro in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro. She is also the No. 10 all-time collegiate discus competitor with her 210-11 (64.29m) performance April 11 in Long Beach, Calif. Ulrich also became the first Louisville track and field athlete to place in the top four in multiple events at the NCAA Championships, finishing fourth in the shot put at 58-8.50 (17.89m) and then securing second in the discus with her 206-10 (63.05m) effort on June 6 and 8 at Hayward Field in Oregon. She followed with a runner-up finish June 27 at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials with a mark of 205-5 (62.63m) at Hayward Field, joining reigning Olympic gold medalist Valarie Allman and NCAA Division 1 champion Veronica Fraley of Vanderbilt on the U.S. roster to compete in Paris, with the women's discus final scheduled for Aug. 5. Ulrich expresses gratitude for the support she has received from her home in Illinois, along with the entire Louisville athletic department. She also speaks about the collaboration with Louisville throws coach Cory Martin, and how he has been instrumental in her growth and development throughout her collegiate career, especially during the past year. Ulrich examines the lessons learned from past NCAA championship meets and how they provided motivation and inspiration for her to not only earn All-America honors in her first year competing for Louisville following a transfer from Indiana, but also to have the belief and confidence to qualify for the Olympics. She looks forward to reconnecting in Paris with international athletes that she has squared off against in college, including Alida van Daalen and Jorinde van Klinken from The Netherlands, Caisa-Marie Lindfors of Sweden and Nigerian athletes Obi Amaechi and Ashley Anumba. Ulrich also speaks about how unique training has been in recent weeks with the sole focus on the discus, after competing in both the shot put and discus for several months, and how important it will be for her to manage emotions well during the Aug. 2 qualifying round, with only three throws available in an effort to advance to the final.