U.S. Gets Three Into Final Of Men's Shot Put, Two Into The Women's Discus And Mixed Relay Fastest In Qualifying; Canada's Evan Dunfee, Spain's Maria Perez Win Racewalking Gold 

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Logan Hannigan-Downs photos

TOKYO -- It has been almost exactly a year since Ryan Crouser took a competitive attempt in the shot put. 

But he returned to Japan National Stadium on Saturday, the site of his second Olympic title, and entered the 2025 season with a first attempt that landed on top of the yellow tape that marked the qualifying standard (21.35m). 

His distance was recorded as 21.37m, good enough to pass through the qualification round and into this evening's finals. 

Tripp Piperi hit 21.47m for the first automatic qualifying mark and Crouser was the second to do it. 

New Zealand's Thomas Walsh threw 21.74m in Group B for the longest throw of the round.

U.S. champion Josh Awotunde endured a nerve-wracking conclusion but finished eighth to give the American team three of the 12 who will compete in the final. Payton Otterdahl, who has been dealing with an elbow injury, was not able to push through it and finished 19. 

In the mixed 4x400 relay, the United States employed a team of Bryce Deadmon, Lynna Irby-Jackson, Jenoah McIver and Alexis Holmes to win the first heat and qualify for the final with 3:10.18. 

Great Britain, Belgium, The Netherlands, Poland, South Africa, Italy and Japan will join the U.S. on the starting line tonight. 

Reigning Olympic champion Valarie Allman and reigning world champion Laulauga Tausaga both advanced out of the qualifying session to the finals of the women's discus. 

Allman produced the third-longest throw with 66.07m and Tausaga had the fifth-best with 64.99m. 

Two additional Americans in the women's discus, Gabi Jacobs and Shelby Frank, did not advance, finishing 18th and 23rd respectively. 

The first gold medals of the 2025 World Athletics Championships were won by Canada and Spain in the 35-kilometer racewalks. 

Evan Dunfee, an Olympic bronze medalist, won his first global title at the age of 34 with a time of 2:28:22. He won by more than 30 seconds. Caio Bonfim of Brazil took silver with 2:28:55 and Hayatu Katsuki gave the Japanese crowed reason to roar with his bronze medal finish in 2:29:16. 

"It is a dream come true," Dunfee, of Richmond, B.C., said. "My coach and I have been together since I was 10 years old and then we set down and set goals to become world champions and to set the world record. We managed to do both this year and it really is a dream come true. I am turning 35 this year but I just feel like I am getting better and better. I was just patient today. That is part of my game and everyone who knows me knows that I can become better in the second half of the race.

"At first I was a bit concerned, I was really struggling, and I was thinking that maybe the gold was not going to happen today. In the second half of the race, I found myself in the lead, but still, the last two kilometers felt like the hardest ones I have ever done."

Maria Perez of Spain won her third World Championship title in a time of 2:39:01, missing her own personal best by two seconds. Antonella Palmisano of Italy took silver with 2:42:24 and Paula Milena Torres of Ecuador broke her national record with 2:42:44 and finished in bronze position. 

In the men's preliminary 100 meters, an event that encompasses nation's that have developing track and field programs, eight of which will get a lane in Round 1, Christopher Borzor of Haiti posted the fastest time with 10.41. 

The men's shot put, women's 10,000 meters and mixed 4x400 relay medals are on the line in the evening session.