STUTTGART, Germany (Kyodo) Hammer thrower Koji Murofushi finished third with an effort of 78.99 meters at the World Athletics Final on Sunday.
Murofushi, the Athens Olympics gold-medalist who was aiming for his first title in two years at the same event, posted his best mark of the day with his fourth and final attempt. Primoz Kozmus of Slovenia won with a 79.99-meter throw to add to the Olympic gold he captured in Beijing last month.
Murofushi finished fifth in Beijing but will be awarded the bronze if silver-medalist Vadim Devyatovskiy of Belarus and bronze medal-winner and compatriot Ivan Tsikhan are stripped of their medals for doping violations.