The automatic qualification standard to advance to the final of the men’s Discus Throw was set at 57.40m and only six of the 25 athletes entered reached the requested distance.
In group A Oleg Pirog of Russia was the first to make the cut as he set a new personal best of 58.04 with his first attempt. The fourth best in the world junior lists this year Roman Ryzhyy of Ukraine’s second attempt of 58.71 made him the second athlete to automatically advance to the final as it took Ronnie Buckley of Australia, last year’s World Youth champion three efforts – and a best of 58.22 – to make the cut.
Another three athletes from group A advanced as the next best including Saudi Arabia’s Sultan Mubarak Al-Dawoodi, the best in the world this year and runner up at the Asian junior championships only just made it as the last qualifier with a poor showing of 54.96.
Group B was dominated by the Asian Junior champion Ehsan Hadadi of Iran whose first effort of 61.15m would remain the best of this morning’s session. Ukraine’s Dmytro Isnyuk also advanced to the final with a second best throw of 59.83, a new personal best while Luka Rujevic of Serbia and Montenegro made it with his second attempt of 58.37m after an opening foul.
With no-one else reaching the automatic standard, Sergey Gribkov of Russia and Martin Wierig of Germany advanced as the next best performers with Hungary’s Lajos Kürthy taking the last qualifying spot from group B with a mark of 55 metres.
