‘Truly amazing’: Rachel Dincoff blazes trail to Tokyo Olympics

AUBURN, Ala. – Letter-winner, All-American, record-holder. The list of accolades for Auburn track and field alum Rachel Dincoff is something to behold, and come July 30, she will add “Olympian” to her already impressive resumé when she competes in the discus throw at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics.

If that isn’t enough, Dincoff will make Auburn history as the school’s first female track & field athlete to represent the United States at the Olympic Games.  

“I am so excited and so honored to represent Auburn in this way,” Dincoff said. “It's truly amazing. I can’t wait to see who follows in my footsteps because I know there is so much talent at Auburn each year.”

Growing up in a small town in northeastern Indiana, Dincoff invested all her time in sports. As a multi-sport athlete in basketball, volleyball, soccer and track & field, she learned that effort equals opportunity, and if she put in the work, sports could take her to places she had only dreamt of.

Her dedication earned her a scholarship on the track & field team at Purdue University Fort Wayne where she spent her freshman season before deciding to look for a new home that could give her greater opportunity to reach her goals.

Ultimately, that new home was Auburn University.

“When I transferred to Auburn, I just fell in love with it,” Dincoff said. “Using the resources and tools we were blessed to have, I proceeded to become the best athlete I could be.”

After making her way to the Plains, Dincoff competed for the Tigers in the 2014, 2015 and 2016 seasons, earning All-America honors each year. She still stands as the program’s discus record-holder with a mark of 183-1. 

Upon graduation, Dincoff followed her coach, Doug Reynolds, to New Mexico where she currently resides and trains. After years of self-reflection and preparation, she knew she wanted her crack at representing the Red, White and Blue in Tokyo, and when June rolled around, she made her way to Eugene, Oregon for the USA Track & Field Olympic Trials.

“I knew I was physically ready,” Dincoff said. “I had to mentally prepare. I had never been in this experience before. I knew I could become an Olympian that weekend, so I was doing my best to not let my emotions take hold of me. I knew it was going to be a highly emotional event, but I didn’t want to let those emotions ruin it for me.”

Dincoff earned her way to the women’s discus finals after locking down the seventh of eight spots that were guaranteed three more throws in an effort to get to Tokyo. The performance was not up to her standards, though, and she knew she needed to push herself into the top three if she wanted to make the team.

“I knew it was getting closer to the moment where I could turn my dreams into reality,” Dincoff said. “I just had to do what I know I am capable of doing. If I did that, I knew I could make the team.”

On her fifth throw, Dincoff reached that magic number. She threw for 60.21m, a mark that catapulted her into third place and would eventually punch her ticket to her first ever Olympic Games. 

 

Dincoff still had to wait out her competitors and hope her mark was enough to secure a spot.

“Watching the competition, you can’t tell who beat who,” Dincoff said. “We were all pretty close in distance, so I just had to wait for the numbers to pop up on the screen. When the last number popped up and I was still in third place, it was just pure, raw emotion. It all poured out of me. I dropped to my knees and thanked God for this opportunity.”

Dincoff is more determined than ever to make the most of this opportunity and represent both Auburn and the United States on sports’ biggest stage. The Olympic qualifying round for the women’s discus will begin on July 30 at 7:30 p.m. CT, and if Dincoff performs well, she will advance to the finals on August 2 at 6 a.m. CT.

After competing in the 2020 games, Dincoff plans to take some well-deserved time off to rest and recuperate, but she already has her sights set on the possibility of going back to the Olympics with Team USA in 2024.