Veronica Fraley, the reigning NCAA Division 1 women's discus throw champion from Vanderbilt and third-place finisher at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Oregon, joins DyeStat editor Erik Boal to discuss making her Olympic debut Aug. 2 in the qualifying round in Paris. Fraley, 24, elevated to the No. 3 all-time collegiate competitor and No. 7 athlete in American history April 14 with her 220-5 (67.17m) performance at the Oklahoma Throws Series World Invitational in Ramona. She prevailed June 8 at the Division 1 championship meet with a 208-10 (63.66m) effort and secured her place among the 120 athletes on the U.S. national team roster for France by earning third June 27 with a mark of 205-2 (62.54m) at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, with both performances taking place at Hayward Field. Fraley, who attended Wakefield High in North Carolina and competed at Clemson before transferring to Vanderbilt, shares how special it is to have training partner Sade Olatoye, the 2019 NCAA Division 1 indoor women's weight throw champion at The Ohio State University, also competing at the Olympics representing Nigeria in the women's hammer throw. She also explains how significant it is to have former Vanderbilt throws coach Ashley Kovacs as the head coach for all U.S. national team female throwers in Paris, in addition to the experience, insight and perspective of her husband Joe Kovacs, a two-time World champion and silver medalist at the past two Olympics in the men's shot put. Fraley explains the transition from having Ashley Kovacs as her mentor at Vanderbilt, before she stepped away from the program in October 2022 to give birth to twins, to John Newell leaving Arkansas to take over as throws coach for the Commodores. She expresses gratitude for Newell's patience and guidance, and how Fraley had to rebound from a challenging winter season in the shot put that didn't produce an appearance at the Division 1 indoor championship meet in March in Boston. Fraley examines how meaningful it was to achieve a lifetime-best throw in the discus in April in Oklahoma, and the confidence it provided for the remainder of her outdoor season. She shares how valuable it was to be able to compete during the spring against Jayden Ulrich of Louisville, her teammate on the U.S. roster, in addition to Florida standout and Dutch competitor Alida Van Daalen, and how Fraley is also looking forward to reconnecting at the Olympics with another Dutch star Jorinde Van Klinken, a former NCAA champion at Oregon and Arizona State, as well as Nigerian athletes Ashley Anumba and Obi Amaechi, plus Cal competitor and Swedish qualifier Caisa-Marie Lindfors. Fraley also speaks about the inspiration of wearing the Team USA kit again after appearing at the past two World Athletics Championships, and her motivation to advance to the Aug. 4 women's discus final along with the potential to join reigning Olympic champion Valarie Allman on the podium in Paris.