Agafonov Wins Hammer, Breaks Big 12 Record
May 12, 2006
WACO, Texas –
University of Kansas sophomore Egor Agafonov is now a two-time Big 12 champion in just his first year on the team. The Togliatti, Russia, native, who won the weight throw competition in February at the Big 12 Indoor Championships, shattered the conference hammer record by over four feet on Friday at the 2006 Big 12 Outdoor Championships in Waco. His throw of 225-2 easily won the competition and moved him past Texas’ Dylan Armstrong (221-1) for the new Big 12 standard. Agafonov has now broken two records this season – the KU hammer record as well as the conference’s.<?xml:namespace prefix=”o” ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office”?>
“I am very glad to have won,” said Agafonov after the competition. “I really liked throwing here a lot. It was a little slippery, but that was fine. I would also like to thank my coach, my team and the University of Kansas.”
Also competing in the hammer, senior Sheldon Battle finished seventh with a toss of 188-11. The defending champion in the event, Battle still has a very busy weekend ahead of him. The Jamestown, N.Y., native will be competing in the discus on Saturday, where he is also the defending Big 12 champion, in addition to the shot put on Sunday.
Freshman Zlata Tarasova got the 2006 Big 12 Championships field events under way on Friday with a second place result in the women’s hammer throw. Facing a strong headwind, the Togliatti, Russia, native earned All-Big 12 honors with her toss of 192-5, finishing behind Big 12-leading thrower Laci Heller of Kansas State.
KU multi-eventer Josh Kirk currently sits in fifth place out of 13 competitors with 3,700 points after the first day of competition in the decathlon. Kirk was in 12th through four events but put together a very strong performance in the 400-meter dash to catapult him into fifth. Second-day action for the decathletes begins at 11 a.m. on Saturday with the 110-meter hurdles and wraps up at 5:30 p.m. with the 1,500-meter run.
Rounding out the first day of the Big 12 Championships for the Jayhawks was the 10,000-meter run. Junior Tyler Kelly ran a time of 31:17.40, finishing ninth overall in a strong effort. Mike Putzke (13th) and Matt French (14th) finished in times of 31:43.81 and 31:50.84, respectively.
After day one of the Big 12 Championships, the Kansas men’s team sits in third place overall with a total of 12 points while the women’s team is fifth with eight points. Action from the Hart-Patterson Track and Field Complex restarts on Saturday with the continuation of the men’s decathlon. Prelims in many of the running events as well as the finals of several field events will be featured.
