CHARLESTON — For the first time since Olympian Kelsey Card dominated the state's throwing events, Carlinville has another state champion thrower.

Carlinville senior Hannah Gibson won the Illinois High School Association Class 1A state track and field meet discus throw by a half a foot with a winning effort of 141-feet, 8-inches on Saturday at O'Brien Field on the Eastern Illinois University campus. She beat Warrensburg-Latham runner-up Breanna Dutcher (141-2) and last year's state champion, Athens' Addie Stadsholt (136-0).

Gibson threw her winning effort on her first attempt, then sat by watching her main competitors try and dislodge her from the top.

"In the last round with the last four throwers came up, I started getting a little nervous because I knew (any) of them had the opportunity to pop one out past mine," Gibson said. "That was a little nerve-wracking, just knowing someone could do it and I would have to beat it (on her last try)."

Card won the discus and shot put events all four years of high school — 2008-11 — and qualified for the summer Olympics in both 2016 and 2020 following a successful career at the University of Wisconsin.

"Kelsey was really the first person track-wise that I really looked up to," Gibson said. "I remember we had a sign up in the yard for her when she went to Rio for the Olympics (2016) and I've done a few lessons with her when she's been home. I think that's been a big influence, knowing somebody from a small town, especially ours, could do something like that."

Her final week of high school discus practices consistent mostly of timing.

"This whole week in practice, I just worked on slowing everything down," Gibson said. "That's when I struggle is when I speed up a bunch, so we've worked on slowing down and being super consistent in practice: not worrying how far it goes, but just the feel in the ring."

Her accomplishment earned Gibson a police escort back into town late Saturday afternoon.

Stadsholt won the 2024 1A state discus title with a throw of 130-9.

Mount Pulaski sophomore Piper Tyson finished ninth at 120-7.

(This article will be updated with photos from the meet).

Contact Ryan Mahan: 788-1546, , Twitter.com/RyanMahanSJR.