Who was the Mexican shot putter who won silver for Mexico last week?

September 13th was the opening time of the 20th World Athletics Championships successful Tokyo. While determination volition beryllium plentifulness of enactment implicit the adjacent 18 days, it volition beryllium a dilatory start, with contiguous consisting mostly of qualifying rounds. The astir prestigious lawsuit volition be the men’s changeable put, with the qualifying signifier taking spot successful the greeting and the last successful the afternoon. One of Mexico’s champion hopes for these championships volition beryllium competing, and portion Uziel Muñoz is not expected to triumph a medal, helium has a bully accidental of making the final.

It has been 11 years since Muñoz, past a young lad from Chihuahua, won 2 metallic medals (in the changeable enactment and discus) astatine the Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships. One of the large influences connected his vocation has been his brother, Mateo, present sadly departed. It was Mateo who pressured him to chopped down connected the partying and instrumentality athletics much seriously. Progress came slowly, centimetre by centimetre, and it was 2019 earlier Uziel got a sensation of the large time, making his archetypal quality successful a World Championships. He finished good down the rankings, but was lone twenty-five, and determination was plentifulness of clip to improve.

Uziel Muñoz’s chances astatine the World Athletic Championships

Uziel Muñoz is 1 of Mexico’s champion changeable putters and is presently representing his state successful Tokyo. (Instagram)

He missed retired connected the 2020 Olympics, but 2022 saw him backmost successful the World Championships. By now, helium had added implicit a metre to his champion region and that was bully capable to marque the final. The 2023 Pan American rubric followed and helium was 8th successful the 2024 Olympics. Uziel Muñoz was present ranked successful the world’s apical ten, but the years had rolled by, and helium was thirty. It was questionable however overmuch further betterment helium could make.

Uziel Muñoz is, of course, a large man, lasting 1.85 and weighing 121 kg (6’1″ and 267 pounds). He has unthinkable spot successful his shoulders. However, helium is not a elephantine by the standards of this sport. The satellite fig one, Ryan Crouser of the U.S., dwarfs him astatine 2 meters and 145 kg. Crouser comes to Tokyo seeking his 3rd satellite title, but his enactment has been controversial. He has been injured each play and has yet to propulsion successful a competition. His inclusion successful the U.S. squad besides means that determination is nary spot for different large thrower, Joseph Kovacs, the antheral who has won medals astatine the past 5 World Championships.

Day 1 qualifying

The greeting league successful Tokyo gets underway with the 36 throwers divided into 2 groups. To scope the final, a rival volition person to propulsion implicit 21.35 meters oregon decorativeness successful the apical 12. That automatic qualifying people proves a pugnacious target, and lone New Zealander Tom Walsh and the Americans Adrian Piperi and Crouser execute it. To the alleviation of everybody, Crouser’s damaged elbow stands up to the unit of hurling a four-kilogram shot of robust 20 meters. Muñoz opens his qualifying run with a coagulated 20.48 and ever looks bully for the final, though helium doesn’t unafraid that spot until his last throw. His 3rd and champion propulsion is 20.77 meters, ranking him ninth of the 12 finalists.  

So to the final. A coagulated archetypal circular sees 8 of the 12 athletes throwing implicit 20 meters, leaving Muñoz sixth with an opening effort of 20.58. Having got 1 propulsion safely in, the starring men tin enactment that small other effort and instrumentality the other hazard of fouling successful the 2nd round. This is simply a bully circular for some Muñoz, who unexpectedly moves into 3rd place, and Crouser, who takes the pb for the archetypal time. However, the American is nursing his elbow and throwing good nether his best. His 3rd consecutive rubric is by nary means unafraid astatine this point. 

A last circular surprise

Going into the last round, Crouser has managed 1 large throw, pushing the changeable implicit the 22-meter line. His 3rd satellite rubric present looks safe. Muñoz is successful fourth. But helium slips down a spot erstwhile the large Nigerian, Chukwuebuka Cornnell Enekwechi, manages 21 meters 52 with his past throw.  The day-long contention is entering its last play arsenic the Mexican enters the circle. Only 3 throwers remain, and Muñoz stands retired arsenic the lone 1 apt to power the starring results.

Muñoz’s look is choky successful concentration. The vantage of being “only” six feet gangly allows him much velocity arsenic helium spins crossed the tiny throwing circle. It each comes together, and the changeable drops astir the 22-meter line. Muñoz is smiling. He knows this is simply a bully throw. Then helium sees the effect and leaps into the air. It’s 21.97 meters, a Mexican grounds and a metallic medal.

Mexico’s champion changeable putters

Thirty is not aged for a changeable putter and determination is nary speech of retirement. The Olympics are inactive 3 years away, but the clip volition spell quickly. There is different information that Muñoz regularly mentions. Mexico has nary contented of producing throwers. The lone different changeable putter to deterioration Mexican colors successful caller Olympics is Stephen Saenz. And helium grew up and learned to propulsion successful the USA. In the 2025 Mexican Championships, Jairo Morán, from Chiapas, threw 19.19 meters successful the shot, which is edging towards world-class.

Nobody else, however, is anyplace adjacent to that standard. Indeed, though Muñoz does not instrumentality the discus seriously, helium inactive clinched this year’s Mexican Championship with a propulsion that would beryllium considered “club level” successful Europe. Muñoz is passionate astir improving Mexican throwing and knows each clip helium reaches a large final, helium mightiness animate a fewer young boys and girls to prime up a changeable oregon a discus. 

So arsenic Mexican athletics gears up for the adjacent Olympic cycle, retrieve the sanction Uziel Muñoz. A household antheral and a gentle giant. An intelligent antheral who has a grade successful Business Administration from the Autonomous University of Ciudad Juárez. Uziel Muñoz, metallic medalist successful the World Championships.

Bob Pateman is a Mexico-based historian, librarian and a life-term hasher. He is exertion of On On Magazine, the planetary past mag of hashing.