Five-time State Champion crowned

LA CROSSE – How do you become the most decorated WIAA female athlete in the modern era of track and field? You throw farther than anyone in the state has since 1999.

Gold isn’t new for Thea Kral, who won her first state championship as a sophomore in the discus — by more than eight feet.

This year, Kral entered as the favorite in both the shot put and discus, having dominated throughout the regional and sectional meets. She hadn’t lost a meet since finishing second on April 18, 2024. Before that, she placed seventh in the shot put at the 2023 state meet. So, yes there was pressure.

“Being a committed athlete to a Division I school, there is a lot of pressure,” Kral said. “I have a lot of family here that I don’t want to disappoint.”

That pressure seemed to explode with her first discus throw — an astounding 156 feet, 8 inches. Kral let out a scream in celebration. No one came close after that. Her winning mark outdistanced the field by six feet.

“I had a really good feeling about [the first throw],” Kral said. “I went up, and my coaches said I celebrated a bit too much, but we were all really happy about it.”

Kral wasn’t done.

“I am going to take the night to celebrate and then lock back in for tomorrow,” she said, looking ahead to the shot put final on Saturday.

That event played out much differently. The lead changed hands several times, the competition tight throughout, until Kral’s final attempt. As if building the moment on purpose, she paused to scan the crowd of family and friends, glanced back at her coaches, then looked down at the shot in her hand. She let it fly: 47 feet, 3½ inches — the best throw of her career.

The moment it left her hand, Kral sprinted to her coaches, then her family. Tears flowed from Kral and those around her as hugs were exchanged and years of effort culminated in one final, unforgettable moment.

As the announcer declared, “Thea Kral, state champion, repeat champion, girls Division 1 shot put,” the five-time state champion stood at the top, alone. The most decorated female thrower in modern WIAA history looked out over the crowd of more than 10,000 fans — and smiled.

“If I would have told little me that this was her future, she would not have believed me,” Kral said.