From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

Delsea’s Josh Awotunde placed 6^th in the shot put Sunday morning at the World Championships at Kujawy Pomorze in Torun, Poland.

This is Awotunde’s 4^th top-8 finish in five trips to Worlds. In 2022 indoor Worlds in Belgrade, Serbia, he placed 5^th with a throw of 71-2 ¼ and then outdoors that spring in Eugene he placed 3^rdwith a 73-1 ½. In 2023 in Budapest, Hungary, he placed 11^th at 65-6 ½. Then last year outdoors in Tokyo he placed 7^th in the final with a 69-4 ¼.

Awotunde opened with a 67-1 ½, then threw 67-11 ¾ on his 2^nd before hitting 68-9 on both his 3^rd and 4^th throws, moving up to 6^th place. He fouled on his 5^th attempt and finished with a 67-1 ¼.

Awotunde qualified for Worlds by placing 3^rd at the U.S. Championships at Ocean Breeeze earlier this month with a season-best 69-1.

He threw his PR 73-8 ½ when he won the 2025 U.S. Championship at Oregon’s Hayward Field. That’s No. 17 in world history and No. 10 in U.S. history.

Tom Walsh of New Zealand won the competition by an inch with a 71-0 ¾ on his 5th attempt, bumping American Jordan Geist out of the lead. Geist wound up 2nd with a 70-11 ¾. The other American, Roger Steen, placed 3rd with a 70-6 on his final attempt.