World Athletics Championships Tokyo 2025: Mexico's Uziel Muñoz advances to the world shot put final

(AFP) Mexico’s Uziel Muñoz on Saturday cleared the qualifying round of the shot put at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo and qualified for the final, which takes place later in the day.

The 30-year-old Chihuahua native reached 20 meters and 77 centimeters, which put him in ninth place in the round and therefore within the final 12 who will compete for medals.

Muñoz was already a finalist in his event at the Eugene 2022 World Championships, where he finished eleventh, and at last year's Olympic Games in Paris, where he was eighth.

The other two Latin American competitors in this event, Brazil's Willian Dourado (19.78 m, 21st) and Cuba's Juan Carly Vázquez Gómez (19.21 m, 27th) were eliminated.

The best in the qualifying round was New Zealander Tom Walsh with 21.74 meters.

Qualifying smoothly to the final was the big favorite, American Ryan Crouser, who advanced with a 21.37m throw.

Crouser, 32 years old and world record holder with 23.56 meters, won gold at the last two World Championships and the last three Olympic Games.