Veronica Fraley
{{Short description|American athlete (born 2000)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Veronica Fraley
| image = Day 7 at the 2024 United States Olympic Trials (track and field) 25 (cropped).jpg
| caption = Fraley in 2024
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|2000|5|27}}
| birth_place = Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.
| height = 5'6"
| weight =
| pb = Discus: 68.72 (Ramona, 2025)
| country = {{USA}}
| sport = Athletics
| event = Discus throw
}}
Veronica Fraley (born May 27, 2000) is an American track and field athlete who competes in the discus throw.{{cite web |url=https://worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/veronica-fraley-14748979 |website=World Athletics |accessdate=April 15, 2024 |title=Veronica Fraley}}
Early life
She is from Raleigh, North Carolina, and attended Wakefield High School.{{cite web |website=The Howler |first=Kiara |last=Mallory |date=May 9, 2018 |url=https://thehowler.org/6934/sports/breaking-records-one-throw-at-a-time/ |accessdate=April 15, 2024 |title=Breaking records one throw at a time}} As a junior, Fraley lead the state in the Shot Put, Discus and Hammer Throw. She committed to Clemson University in October 2017.{{cite web |url=https://nc.milesplit.com/articles/223815/north-carolina-discus-state-record-holder-veronica-fraley-commits-to-clemson |website=Mile Split |accessdate=April 15, 2024 |title=North Carolina Discus State Record Holder Veronica Fraley Commits To Clemson! |first=Jason |last=Creasy |date=October 9, 2017}} She later attended Vanderbilt University.{{cite web |first=Stan |last=Becton |url=https://www.ncaa.com/news/trackfield-outdoor-women/article/2023-07-10/top-ncaa-performers-2023-usatf-outdoor-championships?amp |website=NCAA |accessdate=April 15, 2024 |title=Top NCAA performers from 2023 USATF Outdoor Championships |date=July 10, 2023}}[https://www.teamusa.com/profiles/veronica-fraley Veronica Fraley]. Team USA. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
Career
She threw a personal best 53.57m in the discus at the Penn Relays in May 2018. That spring she also won the Bojangles Track and Field Classic and before the Pepsi Florida Relays.{{cite web |date=April 27, 2018 |url=https://www.runnerspace.com/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=44531&do=news&news_id=528532 |website=Runnerspace |accessdate=April 15, 2024 |title=VERONICA FRALEY, SKYLAR CICCOLINI THROW BIG MARKS - THURSDAY FIELD EVENTS - 2018 PENN RELAYS}} In June 2019, she finished second at the USATF U20 championships.{{cite web |url=https://www.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?event_id=7289&do=videos&video_id=278954 |title=Veronica Fraley 2nd Place Women's Discus Throw - USATF U20 Outdoor Championships 2019 |date=June 23, 2019 |accessdate=April 15, 2024 |website=Runnerspace}}
She won the women's discus throw with a personal-best 62.30m at the USATF Throws Festival in Tucson, Arizona.{{cite web |url=https://www.dyestat.com/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=44531&do=videos&video_id=329579-Veronica-Fraley-1st-Place-Women-039-s-Discus-Throw-and-11th-Place-Shot-Put-USATF-Throws-Festival-2022 |website=Dyestat.com |accessdate=April 15, 2024 |title=VERONICA FRALEY 1ST PLACE WOMEN'S DISCUS THROW AND 11TH PLACE SHOT PUT - USATF THROWS FESTIVAL 2022 |date=May 22, 2022}} In July 2022, she competed at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon.{{cite web |url=https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7137279?eventId=10229531 |accessdate=April 15, 2024 |title=World Athletics Championships, Eugene 2022 - Women's discus |date=July 15, 2023}}
Competing for Vanderbilt University, she became the first female athlete to win the discus throw competition for Vanderbilt at the Southeastern Conference Championships, throwing a lifetime-best of 62.84m in Baton Rouge in May 2023.{{cite web |website=Runnerspace |accessdate=April 15, 2024 |title=VERONICA FRALEY 1ST PLACE WOMEN'S DISCUS THROW - SEC OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS 2023 |url=https://www.runnerspace.com/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=44531&do=videos&video_id=358511 |date=May 14, 2023}} In August 2023, she competed at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest.{{cite web |url=https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7138987?eventId=10229531 |website=World Athletics |accessdate=April 15, 2024 |title=World Athletics Championships, Budapest 2023 - Women's discus |date=August 19, 2023}}
In April 2024, she set a new personal best of 67.17 metres at the Oklahoma Throws Series meeting in Ramona.{{cite web |title=Perez launches discus 73.09m, Sears clocks 10.77 for 100m |website=World Athletics |date=April 14, 2024 |accessdate=April 15, 2024 |url=https://worldathletics.org/news/report/yaime-perez-discus-73-09m-jacious-sears-10-77-100m}} She competed at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.{{cite web |url=https://www.watchathletics.com/page/5828/women-s-discus-throw-results-paris-olympic-games-2024-athletics |website=Watch Attletics |accessdate=28 August 2024 |title=Women's Discus Throw Results - Paris Olympic Games 2024 Athletics |date=5 August 2024}} She threw a personal best 68.72 metres in Ramona, Oklahoma on 12 April 2025.{{cite web |url=https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-continental-tour/news/valarie-allman-north-american-discus-record-ramona |website=World Athletics |accessdate=13 April 2025 |title=Allman throws 73.52m North American discus record in Ramona |date=12 April 2025}}
Personal life
Fraley can bench press 350lbs.{{cite web |website=Essentially Sports |url=https://www.essentiallysports.com/us-sports-news-olympic-news-bodybuilding-news-watch-u-s-olympic-star-oddly-bench-presses-three-fifty-lbs-set-putting-bodybuilding-pros-to-shame/ |title=Watch: U.S. Olympic Star Oddly Bench Presses 350 Lbs Set Putting Bodybuilding Pros to Shame |date=November 18, 2023 |first=Shivangi |last=Agrawal |access-date=April 15, 2024}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{World Athletics}}
- {{TFRRS|7004006}}
- {{USATF|new_id=veronica-fraley}}
- {{Team USA|new_id=veronica-fraley}}
- {{Olympics.com|veronica-fraley}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20240730144603/https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/athlete/veronica-fraley_1961044 Veronica Fraley] at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics (archived, [https://paris2024.rtve.es/es/paris-2024/atleta/veronica-fraley_1961044 alternate link])
{{Footer USA Track & Field 2024 Summer Olympics}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fraley, Veronica}}
Category:American female discus throwers
Category:Olympic track and field athletes for the United States
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2024 Summer Olympics
Category:Vanderbilt Commodores women's track and field athletes
Category:Clemson Tigers women's track and field athletes
Category:Track and field athletes from North Carolina