Delsea’s Josh Awotunde, in only his 3rd meet of the year, advanced to the shot put final Friday at the U.S. Olympic Trials at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
Awotunde threw 66-11 ½ on his 1st attempt and 68-8 on his 2nd, and with a spot in the final virtually assured – only eight other Americans have thrown 68-8 this year – he passed on his 3rd attempt.
The top 12 in Friday’s qualifying advanced to the final, scheduled for 9:40 p.m. Saturday. Awotunde wound up with the 7th-best throw in qualifying. The cutoff in 12th place was 64-11 1/4. Throws do not carry over to Saturday.
Awotunde, placed 5th in the 2021 Trials with a throw of 71-7 ¾. He was 3rd at 2022 U.S. Nationals with a 70-6 ¾ and went on to place 3rd at Worlds with his lifetime-best 73-1 ½. That’s No. 21 in world history and No. 12 among U.S. men.
Awotunde’s best throw this year is a 70-7 ½ at the Prefontaine Invitational in Eugene last month.
Jordan West, a 2017 graduate of Rahway and a three-time All-America at Tennessee, gave New Jersey two qualifiers for the final.
C.J. Licata from Gladstone, Somerset County, and Gill St. Bernard’s School, located mainly in Peapack and Gladstone Borough in Somerset County but partially in Chester Township, Morris County, finished 13th, missing the final by eight inches.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 