Valentin Soca Places 15th in the World at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo
9/21/2025 4:55:00 AM | Cross Country & Track
TOKYO, JAPAN--- Valentin Soca of the California Baptist University cross-country & track team finally concluded his 2025 outdoor season as he competed in the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan.
The junior posted one of the most decorated seasons in the history of CBU athletics on the collegiate side, earning a pair of All-American honors and posting the seventh fastest 5K time in NCAA history (13:13.10).
Soca followed that incredible season by qualifying for the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, to compete for his home country of Uruguay on the national stage. Soca began his Tokyo journey on Friday as he had to fight his way through the prelims to earn the right to battle in the finals. In the prelims, Soca needed to get top eight in his heat to advance and he would achieve that with a fifth place finish and a time of 13:41.80.
In the finals, Soca would be up against an incredible field of 16 total athletes, including several former All-Americans and National Champions, including Nico Young from Northern Arizona, Cole Hocker from Oregon, and Ky Robinson from Stanford. Hocker would end up winning the race with a time of 12:58.30, executing a powerful final kick to bring the gold home for the Americans.
Soca proved he belonged on one of the sport's biggest stages by placing 15th in the final at 13:34.35. The time is the fifth fastest Soca has ever run on any stage in the 5K, and capped an incredible season.
Players Mentioned
