Mizzou track and field's Valentina Barrios has qualified for the World Athletics Championships to represent the Tigers and her home country of Colombia, the organization announced on Wednesday, August 27.

The World Athletics Championships, staged every two years, stand as the most prestigious competition in track and field outside of the Olympic Games. The 2025 edition will take place September 13-21 in Tokyo, before moving to Beijing, China, in 2027. 

Barrios joins former Tiger Gabi Jacobs at the 2025 World Athletics Championships. Jacobs, a 2019 graduate, placed third in the women's discus at the USA Track and Field Outdoor Championship on August 1 with a throw of 63.33m (207-9). Her finish secured a spot on Team USA for the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo. 

Barrios competes in women's javelin qualifications on Friday, September 29, at either 5:30 p.m. CT or 7 p.m. with the final scheduled for Saturday, September 20, at 7:05 p.m. Jacobs' is set to compete in on Saturday, September 13 in qualifications at either 7 p.m. or 8:05 p.m. with the finals slated for Sunday, September 14, at 5:10 a.m.

Barrios, the 2025 NCAA Champion in women's javelin, solidified her spot after taking first place in women's javelin at the U23 Pan American Games with a throw of 60.16m (197-4) at Estadio de Atletismo on August 20. She recorded her second-best javelin throw of her career with the result. The senior finished ahead of Georgia's Manuela Rotundo, who won the 2025 Southeastern Conference Championship in the event. 

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