Finley Moves on to Discus Finals in Shenzhen

Aug. 19, 2011

SHENZHEN, China – Kansas thrower MasonFinley advanced to the finals of the discus throw Friday morning at the World University Games. The junior will now have the opportunity to pick up his second medal of the meet, after his first came in a third-place finish in the shot put on Tuesday.

In Friday’s qualification flight of the discus, Finley launched a throw of 58.31 meters (191-4 ft.) on his third and final attempt of the opening round. The mark would vault him into second place in his flight, where he would eventually end the day.

“The first round of the discus went okay for me today,” Finley explained following the day’s action. “I feel like I threw pretty well. I was trying to not to use too much energy but still make finals and I think I did a good job of that.”

Finley enters the finals with the eighth-best mark of the remaining 12 throwers. The Salida, Colo., native has earned several accolades in the event discus this year. During the outdoor track and field season, Finley notched three first-place finishes for the Jayhawks and recorded a personal best of 60.65m (199-0 ft.) at the Warhawk Classic in April, which was the third-best mark in the NCAA on the season.

The discus finals of the World University Games will begin on Sunday evening at 6:40 p.m. (5:40 a.m. Central). For updates and results from Finley’s final competition, stay connected to kuathletics.com.