Finley cruises to Olympic discus final

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – Former Kansas thrower Mason Finley proved his mettle among the world’s best discus throwers as he advanced to the final of the Olympic discus Friday morning inside Olympic Stadium. Finley claimed sixth in the qualifying round and will compete in the event final set to begin Saturday morning at 8:50 a.m. (CT).
 
Finley, who competed for the Jayhawks from 2010-12, improved on each of his three attempts in the opening rounds Friday. There were nervous moments for the eight-time All-American as he entered the third and final round on the brink of falling out of the all-important top-12. Finley put any doubts to rest and punched his ticket to the final in impressive style when he hit a mark of 63.68 meters (208-11), jumping all the way to sixth overall.
 
Finley’s performance broke an American discus dry spell, as he became the first U.S. discus thrower to advance to the Olympic final since the 2004 Games. The 2016 American champion will try to make even more history Saturday as he looks to become the first Olympic medalist in the discus since 1984. The final is slated to begin at 8:50 a.m. (CT) inside Olympic Stadium.
 
Fans can follow the discus final by logging on to NBCOlympics.com and clicking on the live stream link. Live results will also be available at Rio2016.com.
 
Finley won’t be the only Jayhawk in action Saturday. Three-time NCAA Champion and former Kansas star Andrea Geubelle will get her Olympic outing underway in the triple jump. The qualifying flights are set to begin at 7:50 a.m. (CT).