Washington's Elijah Mason qualifies for finals in the men's discus at IAAF World U20 championships...
Competing in the first of two flights, Mason got his qualifying mark of 186-6 (56.86m) in the first round, then fouled in round 2. He then had a third round toss of 179-2 (54.61m), as the throwers were using the 1.75 kilo (3.9 pounds) disc instead of the international 2 kilo (4.4 pounds) implement.
Mason’s mark was the tenth best in the two combined flights, as Yauheni Bahutski of Belarus had the furthest throw of the day, spinning the platter 202-6 (61.72m) in the third round in flight 2, and getting one of the two automatic qualifying spots.
Afterwards, Mason said, “I was having trouble with the ring being very grippy and I felt just about stuck. I got the job done and made it past qualification but I need to do significantly better tomorrow. Overall today’s competition was not the best but I made it through.”
When asked about what technical adjustments he needs to make for Sunday’s finals, he said, “I need to get over my left better out of the back and not rush the throw. I also need to keep my momentum from shifting to far forward because I was having foul trouble (in round 2).”
Mason will throw in the finals Sunday at 1:40 pm local time (3:40 am in Seattle). The meet can be streamed live as part of the NBC Sports Gold ($) track & field package.
In the women’s triple jump, Curtis High School graduate, and Flying AJ’s Track Club member Lexi Ellis finished 17th overall in the qualifying round, as the Washington state high school record holder jumped 41-8.75 (12.72m).
Jumping in group B, Ellis, who will attend the University of Oregon this fall, got her best mark in the first round. In round 2, she jumped 41-5.25 (12.63m) and 40-11.75 (12.49m) in the third round.
The timetable and results link for the IAAF World U20 Championships are available here.
NOTE: The IAAF contributed to this report.
Comments