Ryan Whiting released an incredible 22.05m/72-4.25  toss on his fourth throw in the men’s shot put final and held on to win Team USA’s first medal at the 2014 IAAF Indoor World Championships at Ergo Arena.

Whiting (Port Matilda, Pa.), top-ranked in the world, extended Team USA’s win streak to six in the event as he picked up his second straight gold. He followed up his winning toss with a throw of 21.95m/72-0.25 in round five, which would also have been enough to take gold.

In the evening’s only other final, Team USA’s Sharon Day-Monroe (Los Angeles) finished just six points from the medal stand in fourth place in the women’s pentathlon with 4,718 points, her second-highest score ever. Her long jump best of 5.94m/19-6 left her 46 points short of the American-record pace she set in Albuquerque, but Day-Monroe stormed back and won the 800m in a time of 2:09.80, an indoor personal best.

In qualifying action, 13 other Team USA athletes advanced to the next round or finals in their respective events.

Ashton Eaton (Eugene, Ore.) is on world-record pace as he finished day one of the men’s heptathlon with a 70-point lead over Andrei Krauchanka (BLR). Eaton came into the evening session with 2,012 points, and registered a high jump season-best of 2.06/6-9 and tossed the shot 14.88/48-10 to tally 3,653 after four events.

Nia Ali (Northridge, Calif.) easily won her heat of the women’s 60-meter hurdles in 7.87. Ali overcame a slower start to surge at the finish, automatically qualifying for the semifinals on Saturday. Janay DeLoach Soukup (Ft. Collins, Colo.) also automatically qualified for Saturday’s semis, crossing second in 8.01. DeLoach Soukup, a silver medalist in the women’s long jump in Istanbul, is in her first world meet in the hurdles.

Marvin Bracy (Clermont, Fla.) and Trell Kimmons (Coldwater, Miss.) each advanced out of their respective 60-meter heats, both taking the final automatic qualifier spot. Bracy breezed through his heat in 6.60, while Kimmons overcame an early misstep to cross in 6.68 and advance to Saturday’s semifinals.

Tyron Stewart (Chula Vista, Calif.) missed advancing to the men’s long jump final by one centimeter, leaping 8.00m/26-3 on his first attempt to end up ninth. Jeff Henderson (Chula Vista, Calif.) had a best of 7.43m/24-4.5 on his second jump to finish 16th overall.

Both Americans in the women’s 1,500 meters advanced out of their heats, as Heather Kampf (Minneapolis, Minn.) turned in a personal best 4:11.27 after leading for nearly the entire race. Kampf was a late addition to the U.S. team but proved her position in the field, taking the race out from the get-go. Treniere Moser (Portland, Ore.) won her heat in a tactical race, crossing in 4:12.63. Moser sat back for the first six laps before using her well-established kick to take over the final laps.

Both Galen Rupp (Portland, Oregon) and Bernard Lagat (Tucson, Ariz.) advanced to the 3,000m men’s final. Rupp ran steadily early on and then rolled past early pacemaker Ali Kaya (TUR) to claim third in the first section with a time of 7:45.23. Lagat’s second section was markedly faster as the top six finishers were all faster than the winner of the first heat. The ageless Lagat, a three-time world indoor champion at this distance, staked his spot in the final with a 7:42.98 to take third.

American indoor record-holder Francena McCorory (Hampton, Va.) was easily the fastest qualifier to the women’s 400 final, taking the second semifinal in 51.35, while Joanna Atkins (Minneloa, Fla.) advanced as the third-placer in semifinal one, clocking 53.20. Atkins benefited from the disqualification of Lisanne De Witte (NED), who finished in 53.12.

Both Team USA runners moved on to the final in the men’s 400m, led by first-time internationalist Kyle Clemons. Clemons was second in semifinal one at 46.06, the second-fastest time overall. David Verburg (Gainesville, Fla.) ended up third in the second semifinal with a time of 46.33, outkicking 2012 Olympic silver medalist Luguelin Santos (DR).

The meet will be streamed live online on UniversalSports.com throughout the weekend with primetime broadcast coverage on Universal Sports beginning at 8 p.m. ET Friday-Sunday. Click here for local listings.

A full timetable of events can be found on IAAF.org. The official hashtag for the IAAF World Indoor Track & Field Championships is #Sopot2014. Join the conversation along with USATF on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.