Awotunde Earns Bronze Medal at 2022 World Athletics Championships
Former University of South Carolina student-athlete Josh Awotunde placed third in the finals of the men’s shot put, earning a bronze medal for the United States team at the 2022 World Athletics Championships, held in Eugene, Ore. Sunday night.
Awotunde came out on fire, posting a personal-best toss of 22.24 meters (72-11 3/4) on his first attempt. He topped that on his fifth attempt, improving his mark to 22.29 meters (73-1 3/4) to capture the bronze medal. His previous best mark entering the competition was 22.00 meters, set in 2021.
Awotunde, who earned the silver medal at the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships while representing South Carolina, advanced to the finals after placing sixth in the preliminary round on Friday with a mark of 21.18 meters.
The Americans swept the men’s shot put, with two-time Olympic champion Ryan Crouser taking home the gold medal with a mark of 22.94 meters (75-3 1/4) on his fifth attempt. Teammate and two-time World Champion Joe Kovacs garnered the silver medal with a season-best toss of 22.89 meters (75-1 1/4), also on his fifth attempt. It marked the first sweep ever by any country in the event.
On the track on Sunday, South Carolina graduate Aliyah Abrams finished second in the opening heat of the women’s 400-meter dash, posting a time of 51.98, automatically advancing to the semifinals, which will be held on Wednesday, July 20. The first two of each of the three semifinal heats plus the next two fastest finishers will advance to the finals, which will be held on Friday, July 22. Abrams is representing the country of Guyana.
On Saturday, Carolina sophomore Rachel Glenn cleared 1.81 meters in the high jump qualification round, well short of her career best mark of 1.93m, and did not advance to Tuesday’s finals.
Also on Saturday, South Carolina freshman Anass Essayi placed 11th in the second heat of the men’s 1,500 meters with a time of 3:38.60, and did not qualify for the semifinals, which were held today.
The 2022 World Athletics Championships continue at historic Hayward Field in TrackTown, USA through July 24.
