/ SPORTS / WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2011 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
Finley breaks record with Olympic qualifying mark
BY GEOFFREY CALVERT gcalvert@kansan.com
Sophomore shot putter Mason Finley surely made his father proud when he recorded the top throw in the world so far this year at the KU-MU duel on Jan. 14. With a throw of 67 feet, 11.5 inches, Finley also broke a 40-year-old KU record set by Karl Salb in 1970, according to a Kansas Athletic Department press release.
"My dad threw at Wyoming." Finley said. "He trained me and I wanted to throw because of him.
The Jayhawks discovered Finley before the beginning of his senior year at Buena Vista High School in Colorado when throwing coach Andy Kokhanovsky saw Finley compete at the Junior Olympics in California. While at Buena Vista, Finley threw the discus 236 feet, 6 inches, which is a national high school record. In fact, Kokhanovsky said that Finley is better in the discus, an event held during the outdoor track season.
Kokhanovsky and Finley developed a rapport through the recruiting process, but Finley decided to sign with UCLA after also considering Kansas, Missouri, Texas A&M and Arizona State. The location, warm weather and coaching staff were the deciding factors in Finley's choice. After signing a letter of intent with the Bruins, however, their coach was fired, causing Finley to reconsider.
"I didn't know who UCLA was going to bring in," Finley said. "Coach Andy was the guy to go with."
After being released from his letter of intent by UCLA, Finley signed with the Jayhawks, where Finley's talent and knowledge impressed Kokhanovsky.
"He was really talented physique wise, and his dad did a great job with him," Kokhanovsky said.
Once arriving in college,
Kokhanovsky was still able to outline ways that Finley could improve.
"Technique was the really big thing that Coach helped me with a lot," Finley, who has been throwing since the sixth grade. "I hadn't done anything like the weights we do here."
After more than a year under Kokhanovsky, Finley's technique is second nature for him, which is vital to his success.
"If you think about your technique, you'll throw it badly. You have to trust your muscle memory and be relaxed, because there's a lot of adrenaline", Finley said.
Entering the dual, the third meet of his sophomore campaign, Finlev
was aming to throw 64 feet. After releasing his throw, Finley thought he could exceed that goal.
The throw met the "A"
Qualifying mark for the
2011 World
Championships
by Finley's competitive drive and noted that there are only minor technical things that Finley can improve.
"It's a great thing, the way he competes. If he competes like this then the sky's the limit," Kokhanovsky said.
Coach Stanley Redwine was pleased with the entire team's performance in the Dual, but was especially impressed by Finley's performance.
While it is certainly not a simple task to qualify for either of those competitions, both Finley and Kokhanovsky believe Finley can do it, and he knows the ways in which he can continue to improve.
"The MU meet was a total team effort. But you have to single Mason out," Redwine said. "To win the weight throw was one thing, but to do what he did in the shot put was special."
"It's a great thing, the way he competes. If he competes like this then the sky's the limit."
and 2012 Summer Olympics. Finley is not guaranteed a spot in either of those competitions, but now that he has hit the A mark, he has his path laid out for him. According to Kokhanovsky, after hitting the A mark, a thrower needs to place in the top three at the U.S. Championships to qualify for the World Championships or the Olympics.
ANDY KOKHANOVSKY Throwing coach
"I want to lose about 30 pounds, because you can hold yourself in different positions and move through the ring faster," Finley said.
Redwine was also pleased with the shape his team is in this early in the season. He noted that in the Jayhawks' first meet back from break, the Bill Easton Classic on Jan. 8, the coaches
Kokhanovsky was impressed
wanted to see how the athletes trained over break. The teams' success against Missouri was due in large part to the training the athletes did during Winter Break to stay in shape. Redwine said he wasn't surprised that Finley won the shot put, but he was surprised at how far he threw it, and credited his offseason training.
"He's throwing it farther than he did at the end of last year. Usually things go backward at the beginning of the year and then get better," Redwine said.
- Edited by Amanda Sorell
Sophomore thrower Mason Finley launches the weighted ball in the Bill Easton Classic's men's weight throw saturday afternoon in Anschutz Field House. Finley placed second in the event with a toss of 17.47 meters.
Chris Bronson/KANSAN
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