Marietta native, KSU product Haugh makes Olympic finals in hammer throw

Aug. 2—Daniel Haugh's Olympic voyage will last at least one more round as the Marietta native and former Kennesaw State standout qualified for the finals of the hammer throw competition Monday at Tokyo's Olympic Stadium.

The 26-year-old Haugh was the last of 12 qualifiers for the finals, finishing fifth in his heat by clearing 75.73 meters (248 feet, 4 inches). He did so on his final attempt, after fouling on his first two tries.

Haugh, the 2019 NCAA champion in the hammer throw, made it by only a slight edge over the 13th-place finisher, Chile's Gabriel Kehr (75.60).

Poland's Wojciech Nowicki had the best mark at 79.78 meters, followed by the United States' Rudy Winkler (78.81) and France's Quentin Bigot (78.73). The third American to qualify for Tokyo, Alex Young, did not advance.

The finals of the hammer throw are set to take place Wednesday.

Cobb County's other representative with the U.S. track and field team, former Kell High School and Georgia star Kendell Williams, will begin competition Wednesday with the first four legs of the heptathlon.