OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Mason Finley is hoping to return to the Olympic stage this year. He hasn't wasted a second of the last year, in the hopes of getting on the podium in Tokyo, Japan.
"I've been training my whole life for this, and I'm ready to lay it all on the line," Finley said.
Finley finished 11th out of 12 discus throwers at the 2016 Rio Olympics after winning the U.S. trials.
It was an experience he'll never forget.
"It was so loud, I just remember walking in and it was like thousands of people," Finley said.
In Rio, Finley competed against the athletes he had admired his whole life.
"I got to meet all my idols and competed against them at the same time so I was really happy with how I finished," Finley said.
Now, he's going for a gold medal. As the pandemic forced closures of gyms, he ran out to buy workout equipment to use at home.
"We turned it into a good thing and just took the whole year to train and worked on some stuff I wouldn't have time to work on otherwise," Finley said.
Finley moved to Colorado when he was five, but he considers Kansas City home. His passion for discus started in middle school when his father, Jared Finley, taught him how to throw using a McDonald's frisbee.
"We learn from each other, I learn from him now, he's the master now, I used to be the master," Jared Finley said.
While Jared Finley won't be able to cheer his son on in-person if he makes it to Tokyo, he'll be watching every second on 41 Action News at his home in Overland Park.
Jared Finley said it's been a challenging year, but he's proud of the way his son has adjusted to reach his dreams.
"He knows how to do it, he's mentally ready and physically ready, let's take the gold," Jared Finley said.
Mason Finley will compete in the Olympic trials in Eugene, Oregon in June where he'll find out if he makes the U.S.A. Olympic team.
