RIO DE JANEIRO – Former Cowboys thrower Mason Finley qualified for the final round of the men’s discus throw at the Games of the XXXI Olympiad on Friday.
He launched a toss of 208 feet, 11 inches (63.68 meters) on his final attempt to record the sixth-best mark in the qualifying round. He is one of 12 throwers to advance to Saturday’s finals.
The American star steadily improved with each throw of his progression during the qualifying round. He started the morning with a mark of 201-10 (61.52m), then proceeded to throw 205-2.5 (62.55m) on his second toss. He saved his best for last, improving by over a meter on his last throw to finish second in Group B behind Germany’s Christoph Harting.
Heading into the medal round, Finley still has room for improvement. His best throw in Friday’s qualifying round still falls 10 feet short of his personal best, a 218-11 (66.72m) toss at June’s U.S. Olympic Trials.
Finley is the first American to advance to the men’s discus finals at the Olympic Games since Casey Malone at the 2004 Athens Olympics. He will compete at 7:50 a.m. MT on Saturday, attempting to become the first American to reach the podium in the men’s discus since 1984. Stream the men’s discus finals at the provided link above and follow @wyo_track on Twitter for further updates.