Sangamon Sun

Discus thrower and Carlinville native Kelsey Card's time competing in the Tokyo Olympics is over but she said in a recent social media post that, while she won no medals, it was a learning experience.

"The sun sets, but the sun also rises," Card said in an Aug. 1 Facebook post in which she referred to the previous day's competition as "frustratingly disappointing for me."

Olympian Kelsey Card during qualifying rounds at an event in 2016 | twitter.com/badgertrackxc/

"Even though this is my second games, I still have much to grow from this experience," Card continued in her Facebook post. "I will take what happened here and move forward with it every day."

Card, who will be 29 later this month, was born in Springfield and calls Carlinville as her hometown, is the daughter of Thomas and Andrea Card. She has two siblings, according to her bio at the Team USA website.  

One highlight of her discus career was during the 2015 Pan American Games, where she placed seventh.

In early July, Card scored a place representing the United States in Tokyo following her top throw of 194 feet, 9 inches the previous month at the USA Track & Field Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.

"It's a great feeling to make it," Card told the Telegraph at the time. "It's been a tough five years (since her appearance at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics). The 2017 and 2018 seasons weren't great for me when it came to track and field. In 2019, I started coming out of it, rounding the corner, but then came the 2020 cancellation of the Games."

She made it past the challenges to Tokyo, where her top throw during the women’s discus throw qualifying round last weekend was 56.04 meters, which wasn't good enough to finish in the top 12, keeping Card out of the finals this past Monday. She finished 28th overall, according to The State Register-Journal.

That finish was three rungs lower than Card's 25th place finish during the Rio Olympic Games in 2016.

Card said in her Facebook post that she returns to Wisconsin an Olympian who got a great deal of support.

"Regardless of my performance, I cannot even begin to describe the outpouring of love and support I have felt from all of you on my journey," she said. "Seeing all the pictures of my shirts, the posts of people watching me and all the well wishes is overwhelming in the best of ways.  I am, and will always be proud and humbled to represent you. Covid air hugs and so much love.  Thank you! Arigatōgozaimashita."