Laulauga Tausaga-Collins, 25, is an American discus thrower. She won the gold medal in the 2023 World Athletics Championships with a personal best throw of 69.49 meters.
She qualified for the Paris Olympics in 2024 and also took home the gold medal in the NACAC Championships in 2022.
Tausaga-Collins qualified for the Paris Olympics 2024
Laulauga Tausaga-Collins became the first American woman to win the world title in the discus throw event, helping her earn a spot at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She claimed the gold medal with an exceptional fifth throw that soared 69.49 meters (227 feet and nearly 12 inches), beating her own previous best marks by a huge amount of over four meters.
This incredible performance took her from a disappointing last-place finish at the two prior world championships to becoming the world champion in her event. Tausaga-Collins qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics through her outstanding performances in the qualifying competitions and her crowning achievement as the world champion in the discus throw.
Laulauga Tausaga-Collins’s Early Years with her mother
Laulauga Tausaga-Collins, also known by her nickname Laugi, was born on May 22, 1998, in Hawaii. When she was around 7 or 8 years old, she moved with her mother to Spring Valley, San Diego County, California, United States. They had initially planned to visit for a holiday, but ended up staying because her grandparents became sick.
She attended Mount Miguel High School, where she took part in sports like volleyball, basketball, and track and field. Even though she initially considered herself a bookworm, her mother encouraged her to pursue sports. Tausaga-Collins excelled in track and field, especially in the discus throw event, and later competed for the University of Iowa. Her coach is John Dagata, and her club is Chula Vista Elite.
Her mother, Aveaomalo, wanted her daughter to be active. Tausaga-Collins also played basketball until her coach suggested she try to track. However, she did not want anything to do with running events at first. She shared with the Iowa Gazette how she eventually took up the discus throw with the track coach.
Tausaga-Collins also had the chance to consider a military career, as both of her parents had a military background. She was initially recruited for the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) and received interest from institutions like West Point.
Laulauga is a married woman
As of now, Laulauga Tausaga-Collins is a married woman. Her husband’s name is Michael Collins.
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Laulauga Tausaga-Collins’s Career
In 2017, she finished 7th with a throw of 55.71 meters at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships. She also won 1st place in Discus with a throw of 59.29 meters at the 2017 Pan American U20 Athletics Championships. That same year, she took part in the Big Ten Conference Indoor Track and Field Championship.
In 2018, while representing the University of Iowa, Laulauga Tausaga-Collins finished 11th in the shot put with a throw of 15.51 meters. She also secured 8th position in the weight throw event with a distance of 20.03 meters.
Additionally, she claimed 1st place in the shot put with an impressive throw of 16.80 meters (55 feet and 1+1⁄4 inches). She was victorious in the discus event as well, setting a mark of 58.39 meters (191 feet and 6+3⁄4 inches).
In 2019, she became the NCAA Discus Champion. She was an 8-time NCAA Division 1 All-American, a 6-time Big Ten Conference Champion, and a 12-time All-Big Conference Scorer. She also won silver medals in the discus at the 2019 match and 2019 NACAC U-23 Championships.
Laulauga Tausaga-Collins’s Career World Championships and Olympics
On May 6th, 2022, she took 1st place in the Titan Tune-Up competition at the CSU Titan Track Complex in Fullerton, California. She scored a total of 1149 points. On June 24th of the same year, she secured 2nd position at the Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, scoring 1154 points in total.
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In 2023, she won the gold medal at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. With her fifth throw measuring 69.49 meters, she set a new personal best, improving her previous record by more than four meters. This outstanding performance came after she had finished in the last (12th) place in the discus final at the two prior world athletics championships.
Tausaga-Collins was also named the winner of the prestigious USATF World Championships Field Performer “Wing Award” at the USATF Annual Meeting held in Orlando, Florida.
