Florence’s Curtis Thompson placed 11th in the javelin Saturday night at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene.

Thompson only got off one legal throw in the first round of the finals, throwing 258-3 on his first attempt, well below his 268-1 in Friday’s qualifying round. He fouled on his second and third attempts.

Nonetheless, Thompson this week at Hayward Field became only the 8th American ever to reach the javelin final at the World Championships and the first since Sean Furey in 2009.

Only Breaux Greer, Tom Petranoff, Holmdel’s Bob Roggy and Tom Pukstys (who is one of Thompson’s coaches) have ever placed higher than Thompson among Americans at Worlds:

All-Time U.S. World Championships Javelin Finalists
285-5 … Breaux Greer, 2001 [4th]
282-11 … Breaux Greer, 2007 [3rd]
280-10 … Tom Petranoff, 1983 [2nd]
266-8 … Tom Petranoff, 1987 [4th]
261-7 … Bob Roggy, 1983 [9th]
255-7 … Tom Pukstys, 1993 [9th]
255-0 … Rod Ewaliko, 1983 [11th]
258-3 … Curtis Thompson, 2022 [11th]
244-5 … Sean Furey, 2009 [12th]
238-0 … Duncan Atwood, 1987 [12th]

Thompson missed the eight-man final round of three additional throws by about 11 inches. He was sitting in 6th after the first round and 8th after the second round but ultimately wound up about 11 feet shy of the final.

The 11th-place finish is Thompson’s best at an international championship meet. He placed 21st at the Olympics last year.

Thompson ranks No. 3 in U.S. history with his 287-9 from East Stroudsburg earlier this month. Six of the eight-best throws of his life have come since April, with five of them this month.

Thompson’s Mississippi State teammate, Anderson Peters of Grenada, won the gold medal with a throw of 297-0 on his final throw, becoming the first to repeat a World Championships triumph since Jan Železný in 1993 and 1995. Peters had the top four throws of the competition.

Here’s a look at all of Thompson’s 260-foot throws:
287- 9 … American JavFest, East Stroudsburg [Pa.] South High School, July 9, 2022
273- 4 … American JavFest, East Stroudsburg [Pa.] South High School, July 9, 2022
271-11… Olympic Trials, Hayward Field, Eugene, July 4, 2016
271- 7 … Olympic Trials, Hayward Field, Eugene, June 21, 2021
269- 7 …American JavFest, East Stroudsburg [Pa.] South High School, July 9, 2022
268- 1 … Oregon Relays, Hayward Field, Eugene, April 23, 2022
268- 1 … World Athletics Championships, Hayward Field, Eugene, July 21, 2022
267- 4 … World Athletics Championships, Hayward Field, Eugene, July 21, 2022
267- 2 … USATF Throws Festival, Roy P. Drachman Stadium, Tucson, Ariz., May 22, 2021
266- 5 … USATF Throws Festival, Roy P. Drachman Stadium, Tucson, Ariz., May 21, 2022
265-10 … American JavFest, East Stroudsburg [Pa.] South High School, July 17, 2021
265-10 … Florida State Relays, Mike Long Track, Tallahassee, Fla., March 25, 2016
265- 7 … Victoria Track Classic, Centennial Stadiumn, Victoria, British Columbia, June 15, 2022
264- 8 … USATF Throws Festival, Roy P. Drachman Stadium, Tucson, Ariz., May 21, 2022
264- 1 … USATF Championships, Hayward Field, Eugene, Ore., June 26, 2022
263-10 … 94th annual Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays, Mike A. Myers Stadium, Austin, Texas, March 25, 2022
260-11 … American JavFest, East Stroudsburg [Pa.] South High School, July 30, 2016
260- 1 … NACAC Under-23, San Salvador, Estadio Jorge “Mágico” González, June 17, 2016

Nia Ali’s bid for a repeat World Championship triumph ended in heartbreak Saturday when the Pleasantville High School graduate hit the 10th hurdle in the trials and went down on the track, unable to finish the race.

Ali was leading the first of six qualifying races at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., and with the top three in each race plus the next-six fastest hurdlers advancing to Sunday’s semifinals, she only needed a pedestrian time over 13 seconds to qualify.

Ali, racing in lane 5, got a tremendous start and was just ahead of world No. 6 Britany Anderson of Jamaica before smacking the back of her lead leg into the 9th hurdle. She stumbled coming off the hurdle, losing her steps, and then smashed into 10 and crashed to the track six or seven meters from the finish line.

Ali hit the 9th hurdle so hard she knocked the hurdle in lane 6 out of place, resulting in a DQ. So even if she had been able to finish the race with a fast enough time to advance, she would not have been able to race in the semis.

Anderson of Jamaica wound up winning that heat in 12.59, and she was just behind Ali when she went down, so Ali would have probably run something around 12.55 in a clean race. Third place in that race was 13.04, and everyone who ran faster than 13.12 advanced to the semis.

Ali, the Olympic silver medalist in 2016 and World Champion in 2019, is No. 10 in world history with her 12.34 from her win at Worlds in Doha, Qatar, three years ago. She’s also No. 10 in the world this year with her 12.49 in the semifinals at U.S. Nationals on the same track last month.

The 33-year-old Ali had her 3rd baby last year and went 895 days between 100-meter hurdles races after the World Championships before returning to world-class form.

Because this year’s World Championships was originally scheduled for 2020 and the meet is held every other year, 2023 is also a World Championships year, so Ali could have another shot at a 2nd world title in Budapest if she wishes to continue competing. The next Olympics is in Paris in 2024.

Ali, a 2006 Pleasantville graduate, is scheduled to race again on Aug. 6 at the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial Diamond League meet in Silesia, Poland.

After a two-year layoff, Nia Ali is returning to form just in time for the World Championships.

Ali, who graduated from Pleasantville High School in 2006 after starting out at West Catholic in Philly, opens up defense of her 2019 World Championship in the 100-meter hurdles on Saturday at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.

Ali is seeking to become the first woman to win the 100-meter highs at consecutive World Championships since American Michelle Perry in Helsinki in 2005 and Osaka in 2007.

Ali ranks 10th in the world this year with her 12.49 in the semis at the U.S. Championships last month in Eugene, and she’s also 10th all-time in world history with her 12.34 from Worlds in 2019 in Doha, Qatar.

Ali has picked up where she left off after not running a 100-meter hurdles race for 895 days.

Virtually the entire 2020 season was cancelled, and Ali sat out 2021 – including the Olympics – to have a baby with her partner, sprinter Andre De Grasse. It was her 3rd child.

After she won in Doha on Oct. 6, 2019, Ali did not run another 100-meter hurdles race until March 19, 2022, when she opened the outdoor season at the Hurricane Invitational in Coral Gables, Fla., with an eye-popping 12.59.

She matched the 12.59 in the heats at nationals before hitting that 12.49 in the semifinals.

As defending World Champion, Ali only had to prove her fitness at nationals, so she scratched out of the final and comes into Worlds as the No. 8 seed based on fastest 2022 times [and has the 4th-fastest PR]:

She’s raced once since nationals and ran 12.53 at the Diamond League meet in Stockholm late last month. So two of the six-fastest times she’s ever run have come since returning from a two-year layoff.

The 100-meter hurdles trials are scheduled for 2:20 p.m. EST Saturday, with the semis slated for 8:10 p.m. Sunday and the final at 10 p.m. Sunday.

2002 …  PR … All-Time Rank
12.34 … 12.20 … # 1 … Kendra Harrison [USA]
12.35 … 12.35 … #12 … Alaysha Johnson [USA]
12.37 … 12.26 … # 4 … Jasmine Camacho-Quinn [PUR]
12.44 … 12.44 … #29 … Demisha Roswell [JAM]
12.45 … 12.40 … #19 … Britany Anderson [JAM]
12.46 … 12.44 … #29 … Tonea Marshall [USA]
12.47 … 12.47 … #41 … Alia Armstrong [USA]
12.49 … 12.34 … #10 … Nia Ali [USA]
12.59 … 12.32 … # 8 … Danielle Williams [JAM]
12.60 … 12.53 … #57 … Megan Tapper [JAM]
12.60 … 12.60 … #81 … Devynne Charlton [BAH]

Here are the 10 fastest times of Ali’s career:
12.34 … World Championships, Doha, Qatar, Oct. 6, 2019 [1st]
12.44 … World Championships, Doha, Qatar, Oct. 6, 2019 [sf]
12.48 … U.S. Championships, Des Moines, Iowa, June 22, 2013 [3rd]
12.49 … U.S. Championships, Eugene, Ore., June 25, 2022 [sf]
12.52 … U.S. Championships, Sacramento, Calif., June 24, 2017 [2nd]
12.53 … Bauhaus Galan, Stockholm, June 30, 2022 [3rd]
12.55 … U.S. Championships, July 27, 2019 [2nd]
12.55 … U.S. Olympic Trials, July 8, 2016 [3rd]
12.57 … Müller Anniversary Games, London, July 20, 2019 [2nd]
12.57 … U.S. Championships, Des Moines, Iowa, June 22, 2013 [sf]

Florence’s Curtis Thompson became the 8th American man to reach the javelin finals at the World Championships Thursday night in Eugene.

Thompson, competing against the best throwers in the world, threw 268-1 and recorded the 8th-best throw out of 28 competitors to take one of the 12 qualifying spots.

He’s the first U.S. thrower to reach the final in 13 years, since Sean Furey in 2009. The last American to place in the top 10 is Breaux Greer, who was 3rd in 2007.

The top 12 throwers – or all throwers over 273-11 [83.50 meters] – advanced to the final on Friday. Athletes get three throws in the qualifying round on Thursday, and those marks do not carry over to the finals. Only four hit the auto standard of 273-11. The cutoff for finals was 262-6.

The final is scheduled for 9:35 p.m. Saturday at Hayward Field in Eugene, where Thompson has recorded five of the top eight throws of his life.

Only two Americans have ever placed among the top-8 in a World Championships javelin competition: Greer was 4th in 2001 and 3rd in 2007, and Tom Petranoff was 2nd in 1983 and 4th in 1987.

Thompson opened with a 268-1 and followed that with a 267-4 and a foul on his final attempt. Those are the 6th- and 8th-best throws of his life.

He was sitting in the 5th spot after the Group A competition and then watched as only three throwers in Group B surpassed his mark.

Thompson has only had two meets in his life where he’s thrown at least 267 feet more than once – and they’re his last two meets. Five of his eight-best throws ever have been this month.

Thompson’s 268-1 makes him the No. 4 American ever at the World Championships behind Greer, the American record holder; New Jersey’s Bob Roggy – a graduate of Holmdel High School; and former old javelin world record holder Petranoff.

Here’s a look at the top marks ever by American throwers in World Championships history:
285-5 … Breaux Greer, 2001 [4th]
284-8 …… Greer, 2007 [q]
282-11 …… Greer, 2007 [3rd]
282-8 … Bob Roggy, 1983 [q]
284-1 …… Greer, 2001 [-]
281-1 … Tom Petranoff, 1983 [q]
280-10 …… Petranoff, 1983 [2nd]
279-10 …… Petranoff, 1983 [-]
276-7 …… Greer, 2007 [-]
274-3 …… Greer, 2001 [q]
273-3 …… Greer, 2007 [-]
268-1 … Curtis Thompson, 2022 [q]

Here’s a look at all the American javelin finalists in World Championships history:
285-5 … Breaux Greer, 2001 [4th]
282-11 … Breaux Greer, 2007 [3rd]
280-10 … Tom Petranoff, 1983 [2nd]
266-8 … Tom Petranoff, 1987 [4th]
261-7 … Bob Roggy, 1983 [9th]
255-7 … Tom Pukstys, 1993 [9th]
255-0 … Rod Ewaliko, 1983 [11th]
244-5 … Sean Furey, 2009 [12th]
238-0 … Duncan Atwood, 1987 [12th]

The two other Americans, Tim Glover and U.S. champion Ethan Dobbs, finished 24th and 27th.

Thompson, an Olympian in 2021, was competing for the first time since a remarkable breakthrough series at the American JavFest in East Stroudsburg earlier this month, where he threw 287-9, which is No. 7 in the world this year and made him the No. 3 thrower in U.S. history and the No. 1 thrower under 30 years old in U.S. history.

Here’s a look at the 12 qualifiers for Saturday’s final:
294-11… Anderson Peters [GRN] (Group B)
290- 0 … Neeraj Chopra [IND] (Group A)
286- 4 … Julian Weber [GER] (Group B)
279- 7 … Jakub Vadlejch [CZE] (Group A)
273- 7 … Ihab Abdelrahman [EGY] (Group A)
270- 4 … Oliver Helander [FIN] (Group B)
270- 1 … Roderick Genki Dean [JAP] (Group A)
268- 1 … Curtis Thompson [USA] (Group A)
268- 0 … Arshad Nadeem [PAK] (Group B)
265- 2 … Andrian Mardare [MDA] (Group B)
263-10 … Rohit Yadav [IND] (Group B)
262- 6 … Lassi Etelätalo [FIN] (Group A)

And here’s a look at all of Thompson’s 260-foot throws:
287- 9 … American JavFest, East Stroudsburg [Pa.] South High School, July 9, 2022
273- 4 … American JavFest, East Stroudsburg [Pa.] South High School, July 9, 2022
271-11… Olympic Trials, Hayward Field, Eugene, July 4, 2016
271- 7 … Olympic Trials, Hayward Field, Eugene, June 21, 2021
269- 7 …American JavFest, East Stroudsburg [Pa.] South High School, July 9, 2022
268- 1 … Oregon Relays, Hayward Field, Eugene, April 23, 2022
268- 1 … World Athletics Championships, Hayward Field, Eugene, July 21, 2022
267- 4 … World Athletics Championships, Hayward Field, Eugene, July 21, 2022
267- 2 … USATF Throws Festival, Roy P. Drachman Stadium, Tucson, Ariz., May 22, 2021
266- 5 … USATF Throws Festival, Roy P. Drachman Stadium, Tucson, Ariz., May 21, 2022
265-10 … American JavFest, East Stroudsburg [Pa.] South High School, July 17, 2021
265-10 … Florida State Relays, Mike Long Track, Tallahassee, Fla., March 25, 2016
265- 7 … Victoria Track Classic, Centennial Stadiumn, Victoria, British Columbia, June 15, 2022
264- 8 … USATF Throws Festival, Roy P. Drachman Stadium, Tucson, Ariz., May 21, 2022
264- 1 … USATF Championships, Hayward Field, Eugene, Ore., June 26, 2022
263-10 … 94th annual Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays, Mike A. Myers Stadium, Austin, Texas, March 25, 2022
260-11 … American JavFest, East Stroudsburg [Pa.] South High School, July 30, 2016
260- 1 … NACAC Under-23, San Salvador, Estadio Jorge “Mágico” González, June 17, 2016

Curtis Thompson begins his quest for his first international medal on Thursday, and he goes into the World Championships with a unique place in javelin history.

Thompson threw 287-9 at the American JavFest on July 9 in East Stroudsburg, which is not only makes him the 3rd-best thrower in U.S. history but also the youngest athlete in U.S. history to ever throw that far.

Thompson’s 287-9 is the 5th-farthest throw in U.S. history, and the farthest by more than two feet by anybody before their 30th birthday.

And Thompson still has 3 ½ years before his 30th birthday.

So he is without question the top young javelin thrower in American history.

Thompson is ranked No. 7 in the world with his 287-9 going into his first international competition, the 2022 World Athletics Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., where Thompson won the 2016 NCAA title and last year’s Olympic Trials.

The javelin is such a technical event that most world-class throwers don’t reach their peak until their early 30s. So the sky is the limit for Thompson’s future.

Here’s a look at the top 10 single throws in American history, along with the thrower’s age on the day of the meet:
299-6 … Breaux Greer, Indianapolis, 2007 [30 years, 252 days]
297-7 …….. Greer, Carson Calif., 2007 [30 years, 231 days]
292-6 … Tom Petranoff, Potchefstroom, Russia, 1991 [32 years, 335 days]
291-1 …….. Greer, Oslo, Norway, 2007 [30 years, 246 days]
287-9 … Curtis Thompson, East Stroudsburg, 2022 [26 years, 151 days]
287-8 …….. Greer, Monaco, 2004 [27 years, 335 days]
287-6 …….. Greer, Walnut, Calif., 2005 [28 years, 180 days]
286-8 …….. Greer, Bergen, Norway, 2004 [27 years, 235 days]
286-3 …….. Greer, Athens, Greece, 2004 [27 years, 308 days]
285-9 … Tom Pukstys, Jena, Germany, 1997 [28 years, 362 days]

The best previous throw by an American 26 or younger was Greer’s 285-5 in Edmonton in August 2001, about two months after he turned 25.

Internationally, Thompson ranks 7th in the world and 4th among athletes 26 or younger. The top thrower in the world is Thompson’s former Mississippi State teammate, 24-year-old Anderson Peters of Grenada, who threw 305-4 – No. 5 in world history – at the Wanda Diamond League meet at Suhaim bin Hamed Stadium in Doha, Qatar, in May.

Peters, Thompson and Tyriq Horsford of Trinidad and Tobago swept the javelin at the 2016 NCAA Championships, the first NCAA javelin sweep since Oregon in 1964.

The qualifying rounds of the javelin are scheduled for 8:05 p.m. Thursday. The top 12 qualifiers advance to the finals slated for 9:35 p.m. Saturday.

Here’s a look at all of Thompson’s lifetime 260-foot throws:
287-9 … American JavFest, East Stroudsburg [Pa.] South High School, July 9, 2022
273-4 … American JavFest, East Stroudsburg [Pa.] South High School, July 9, 2022
271-11… Olympic Trials, Hayward Field, Eugene, July 4, 2016
271-7 … Olympic Trials, Hayward Field, Eugene, June 21, 2021
269-7 …American JavFest, East Stroudsburg [Pa.] South High School, July 9, 2022
268-1 … Oregon Relays, Hayward Field, Eugene, April 23, 2022
267-2 … USATF Throws Festival, Roy P. Drachman Stadium, Tucson, Ariz., May 22, 2021
266-5 … USATF Throws Festival, Roy P. Drachman Stadium, Tucson, Ariz., May 21, 2022
265-10 … American JavFest, East Stroudsburg [Pa.] South High School, July 17, 2021
265-10 … Florida State Relays, Mike Long Track, Tallahassee, Fla., March 25, 2016
265-7 … Victoria Track Classic, Centennial Stadiumn, Victoria, British Columbia, June 15, 2022
264-8 … USATF Throws Festival, Roy P. Drachman Stadium, Tucson, Ariz., May 21, 2022
264-1 … USATF Championships, Hayward Field, Eugene, Ore., June 26, 2022
263-10 … 94th annual Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays, Mike A. Myers Stadium, Austin, Texas, March 25, 2022
260-11 … American JavFest, East Stroudsburg [Pa.] South High School, July 30, 2016
260-1 … NACAC Under-23, San Salvador, Estadio Jorge “Mágico” González, June 17, 2016

And here’s a look at the top-10 throws ever on U.S. soil:
91.29 … Breaux Greer [USA], Indianapolis, June 21, 2007
90.71 …….. Greer, Carson, Calif., May 20, 2007
89.88 … Thomas Röhler [GER], Eugene, Ore., May 25, 2018
89.34 … Johannes Vetter [GER], Eugene, Ore., May 25, 2018
89.10 … Patrik Bodén [SWE], Austin, Texas, March 24, 1990
88.16 … Jan Železný [CZE], Atlanta, Aug. 3, 1996
88.01 … Ioannis Kyriazis [GRE], Austin, Texas, March 31, 2017
87.70 … Curtis Thompson [USA], East Stroudsburg, Pa., July 9, 2022
87.65 …….. Greer, Walnut, Calif., April 17, 2005

And the top 10 throws ever at Hayward Field:
89.88 … Thomas Röhler [GER], Hayward Classic, May 25, 2018
89.34 … Johannes Vetter [GER], Hayward Classic, May 25, 2018
84.68 … Julius Yego [KEN], Hayward Classic, May 28, 2016
84.65 … Vadims Vasiļevskis [LAT], Hayward Classic, June 2, 2012
83.87 … Chris Hill [USA], USA Championships, June 25, 2009
83.78 … Vítězslav Veselý [CZE], Hayward Classic, June 2, 2012
83.75 …….. Veselý, Prefontaine Classic, May 31, 2014
83.08 … Sean Furey [USA], USA Championships, June 25, 2015
83.06 … Tom Pukstys [USA], USA Championships, June 19, 1993
82.72 … Anderson Peters [GRN], Oregon Relays, April 24, 2021
82.58 … Ioannis Kyriazis [GRE], NCAA Championships, June 7, 2017

Delsea’s Josh Awotunde put together a historic performance Saturday, placing 3rd in the shot put at the World Athletics Championships with the No. 18 shot put throw in world history.

Awotunde, competing in his first international championship meet, recorded the three-best throws of his life, including an absolute monster 73-1 ½ on his fifth attempt at historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.

Awotunde finished behind world record holder Ryan Crouser and world all-time No. 4 Joe Kovacs in the first shot put sweep by any country at the World Championships.

He’s only the 11th American to ever reach the medal stand at the World Championships.

The former South Carolina All-America opened with a PR 72-11 ½, nearly a foot beyond his previous lifetime best of 72-0 from last fall.

He followed that with a 71-2 ¼ and a 69-4 ¼ to advance to the eight-man final. He fouled on his first attempt of the final before hitting the 73-1 ½ and then finishing with another monster bomb – 72-10 ¾.

Awotunde averaged 71-10 ¾ on his five legal throws. The 73-1 ½ makes him the No. 5 thrower in the history of the World Championships.

Crouser won with a 74-6 and Kovacs was 2nd with a 74-2 ¾.

Awotunde got a scare when New Zealand’s Tom Walsh – who is No. 6 in world history and has thrown 75 feet – got his fifth throw beyond the 22-meter mark, but his throw was measured at 22.08, or 72-5 ¼, which only moved him from 5th up to 4th place.

Then Awotunde put things out of reach with his last two throws.

Awotunde moved up from 15th to 11th in U.S. history and from No. 30 to No. 18 in world history.

He set his previous PR of 72-0 at the Meeting Città di Padova at Stadio Colbachini in Padovad, Poland, on Sept. 5, 2021.

The only people in meet history who’ve thrown farther than Awotunde are Kovacs, Crouser, Walsh and Brazil’s Darlan Romani.

Here’s a look at the top throws in meet history:

75-3 … Ryan Crouser [USA], 2022 [1st]
75-1 ¾ … Joe Kovacs [USA], 2019 [1st]
75-1 ½ … Tom Walsh [NZL], 2019 [3rd]
73-11 … Darlan Romani [BRA], 2019 [4th]
73-1 ½ … Josh Awotunde [USA], 2022 [3rd]
72-11 … Werner Günthör, 1987 [1st]

On the brink of elimination, Cherokee’s Jessica Woodard on Saturday became the eighth U.S. woman to finish in the top eight in the shot put at the World Championships.

Woodard, who fouled on her first two throws, was in jeopardy of not placing at all Saturday in Eugene after reaching the finals with a 62-7 throw on Friday.

But she not only got a legal mark on her third and potentially final throw, she earned herself three more throws and guaranteed a top-8 finish by the margin of just over one inch.

Woodard threw 61-3 on her third attempt to move into 8th place, 1 ¼ inches ahead of American Maggie Ewen, who had thrown 61-1 ¾.

Since only the top eight get three more throws, Woodard ended Ewen’s day by the smallest of margins.

Woodard did not improve on that 61-3 and wound up finishing 8th overall at the World Championships at Hayward Field.

This was the first international championship meet for Woodard, and only seven American women have ever thrown farther at the World Championships.

Woodard had one other legal throw in her series, a 61-1 ½ on her final attempt.

All in all, a tremendous debut on the international stage for the 26-year-old Woodard, an All-America at Oklahoma.

It’s been quite a couple months for Woodard, who threw 63-7 ¾ to place 3rd at the USATF Championships and move into the No. 14 spot in U.S. history before throwing 62-7 Friday and finishing in the top-10 on Saturday.

With just one throw, Delsea graduate Josh Awotunde advanced to the shot put final Friday at the World Athletics Championships.

Awotunde, a former South Carolina All-America, threw 69-5 ¾ on his only throw in the qualifying round at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.

All entrants who threw 69-6 ½ or better qualify automatically with the field expanded to 12 if fewer than 12 hit the auto mark. But Awotunde was close enough that there was no reason for him to continue throwing after his initial attempt.

The only auto qualifier in Group A was American Ryan Crouser, the world record holder, who threw 73-1. Crouser set the world record of 76-8 in Eugene last summer at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

Awotunde’s 69-5 ¾ was the 2nd-best throw of the 15 entrants in Group A and 5th-best among all the qualifiers in both groups. He was the top “small-Q” or non-auto qualifier.

Awotunde ranks 30th in world history and 15th in U.S. history with his 72-2 from last September in Padova, Italy.

The final is scheduled for 9:27 p.m. Sunday.

Cherokee graduate Jessica Woodard advanced to the shot put final at the World Athletics Championships Friday with a big throw of 62-7 in the qualifying round.

She’s the 13th American woman to reach the shot put final at World Championships, which was first held in 1991.

Woodard surpassed the auto qualifying mark of 61-8 on her final throw of Friday’s qualifying round at Heyward Field in Eugene, Ore.

Only two U.S. women have ever thrown farther at the World Championships.

Jillian Camarena-Williams threw 65-8 and placed 2^nd in 2011 in Daegu, South Korea. She was later suspended for a positive test for a banned substance, although her performance in 2011 remains on the books. And Michelle Carter threw 65-5 in 2013, 64-10 in 2015 and 62-9 ½ in 2017.

Including results from Group A – who threw after Group B – Woodard was tied for 6th-best throw of the 29 entrants from around the world.

Woodard, competing in her first international championship meet, opened with throws of 58-4 ¾ and 58-2 ¼ and was in jeopardy of missing the finals before popping her 62-7 on her final attempt.

That’s her 2nd-best throw ever.

Woodard was competing in Group B, and she had the 5th-best throw overall. Group A is throwing later Friday evening.

All throwers who hit 61-8 Friday – or the 12-best throwers overall – advance to Saturday’s final. Ten women hit 61-8 and two others were added to fill out the field.

The former Oklahoma All-America qualified for Worlds with a personal-best 63-7 ¾ throw to take 3rd at the USATF Championships at the same facility last month. That made her the No. 9 seed at Worlds and No. 14 in U.S. history.

Woodard will compete in the final at 9:25 p.m. EST on Saturday.

Only eight U.S. women have ever placed in the top-10 at the World Athletics Championships, including Carter five times.

Get ready for the South Jersey contingent to compete at the World Championships!

Four South Jersey athletes will be in action at the World Athletics Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene over the next week and a half, including three throwers who are making their first appearance at Worlds.

Delsea graduate Josh Awotunde and Cherokee’s Jessica Woodard will throw the shot put, Florence’s Curtis Thompson throws the javelin and Pleasantville’s Nia Ali seeks her second consecutive championship in the 100-meter hurdles.

All four are ranked in the top 10 going into the meet.

The World Championships were first held in 1983 in Helsinki and held every four years, but they’ve been contested every two years since 1993. This summer’s meet was initially scheduled for 2021 so there will also be a World Championships next year, the first time it will be held in consecutive years. Next year’s meet is in Budapest.

This is the first time Worlds have been held in the U.S. The only other time the meet was held in North America was 2001 in Edmonton, Alberta.

Here are some link for some great info that will enhance your enjoyment of the meet!

2022 World Championships media guide [an 898-page *.pdf]: Click here.
Seeded entry list by event with season-best and lifetime-best marks: Click here.
World Athletics meet page: Click here.
Complete schedule: Click here.
Competitor’s manual: Click here.
Results link: Click here.
2022 men’s javelin list: Click here.
2022 men’s shot put world list: Click here.
2022 women’s shot put world list: Click here.
2022 women’s 100-meter hurdles world list: Click here.

And here’s a quick look at when the four South Jersey athletes will be competing:

Friday, July 15
8:05 p.m. – Women’s shot put qualifying
9:55 p.m. – Men’s shot put qualifying
Saturday, July 16
9:25 p.m. – Women’s shot put final
Sunday, July 17
9:27 p.m. – Men’s shot put final
Thursday, July 21
8:05 p.m. – Men’s javelin qualifying
Saturday, July 23
2:20 p.m. – Women’s 100-meter hurdles qualifying
9:35 p.m. – Men’s javelin final
Sunday, July 24
8:05 p.m. – Women’s 100-meter hurdles semifinals
10 p.m. – Women’s 100-meter hurdles final