Former Jayhawk Mason Finley reaches Olympic discus finals

By J-W Staff Report     Aug 12, 2016

Charlie Riedel/AP?Photo
Former Kansas University athlete Mason Finley competes during the men’s discus throw final at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials, Friday in Eugene Ore.

Friday morning, inside Olympic Stadium in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, former Kansas thrower Mason Finley delivered a monster throw of 63.68 meters on his final throw of the qualifying round to earn a spot in Saturday’s finals.

Finley, who was in danger of falling out of the Top 12 entering his final throw, moved all the way up to sixth place with the final mark.

The former Jayhawk who competed at KU from 2010-12 improved on each of his three attempts during Friday’s morning’s qualifying. The eight-time All-American’s throw 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 — beginning at 8:50 a.m. central time, when he looks to become the first U.S. Olympic medalist in the discus since 1984.

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 debut underway in the triple jump. The qualifying flights are set to begin at 7:50 a.m. (CT).

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49275Former Jayhawk Mason Finley reaches Olympic discus finals