Former Kentucky star headed to his second Olympics after winning discus at U.S. trials
Former University of Kentucky track and field star Andrew Evans secured a spot at the Paris Olympics by winning the men’s discus at the U.S Olympic Team Trials in Eugene, Oregon, on Saturday night.
It’ll be the second Olympics appearance for Evans, who while at UK won the Southeastern Conference outdoor discus titles in 2012 and 2014 and was second in 2013. Evans, a native of Portage, Michigan, competed at the 2016 Games in Brazil and finished 16th.
On Saturday night, Evans securing the gold medal the U.S. trials with a throw that covered 218 feet, 6 inches (66.61 meters) on his third attempt. He was the only competitor to top 66 meters on multiple attempts.
Other Kentucky track and field alumni who have qualified for the Paris Olympics include Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (for Puerto Rico), Alexis Holmes and Daniel Roberts, along with volunteer coach Devynne Charlton (for the Bahamas).
Also on Saturday, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone once again dominated the field in the 400-meter hurdles semifinals by cruising to a world-leading time of 52.84 and an automatic qualifier for Sunday night’s finals. Masai Russell and Keni Harrison also advanced to Sunday’s 100-meter hurdles finals.
