Ames Burton - Discus, Mizzou Fr.
Riley County High School, Riley, KS.
Ames Burton was a standout thrower at Riley County High School in Kansas. As a senior in 2021, Burton claimed 3A state titles in the shot put and discus. Burton finished her prep career with high school bests of 42-8.75'' in the shot and 155-1'' in the discus. Burton crossed the border less than a year ago to compete at the University of Missouri for coaches Brett Halter and Robert Weir. Burton red-shirted this year, but despite not competing, her hard work in training paid off.
At the USA U20 Championships, Burton competed in the discus. In her first competition in a year, Ames tossed the discus 46.12m/151-4'' on her first attempt. Burton's second attempt flew 54.08m/177-5'', good enough to move her to 1st place. Princeton's Siniru Iheoma 3rd toss went 54.47m/178-8 to give her the win, just 15'' ahead of Burton. G. Meeks best toss measured at 52.87m/173-5'' putting her 3rd after 5 rounds. A sixth and final round toss of Meeks wasn't an improvement and secured Burton's 2nd meet of the year would at the World Championships.
Burton will go from Columbia, Missouri to the country of Colombia for the U20's. Burton will look to add an international medal to her resume like a couple of her Mizzou teammates. After winning the 2019 U20 USATF title in the javelin, Ava Curry (Liberty North HS, Liberty, MO.) won the bronze medal at the Pan American U20 Championships in Costa Rica. Sophia Rivera (Brentwood HS, Brentwood/St. Louis, MO.) won the silver medal in the shot put at the 2015 World Youth (Under-18) Championships and the bronze medal at the 2015 Pan American Junior Championships (Under-20). Rivera's bronze came in Edmonton in Alberta, Canada, while her silver medal was earned in Cali, Colombia, at the same stadium Burton will compete in.
Burton's personal and season best of 54.08m/177-5'' puts her 5th in both categories among the 31 athletes from 21 countries. Burton will compete in group A of the qualification round at 3:00 p.m. Monday. A toss of 52.50m will automatically qualify athletes for the final, while at least the top-12 will advance. The finals are scheduled for 5:14 p.m. on Wednesday, day 3 of the meet.