Ryan Crouser

Ryan Crouser is an American shot putter and discus thrower. He is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and Olympic record holder. Crouser is the current world record holder in the shot put, both indoor and outdoor. On May 27, 2023, Crouser reset his outdoor world record with a throw of 23.56m (77 ft in) bettering his previous world record by 7.48 inches/19 cm. In 2021, at the U.S. Olympic Trials he threw 23.37 m (76 ft in) to break Randy Barnes's 31-year-old record of 23.12 m by almost 10 inches (25 cm). Crouser is also a two-time World Champion and the World Championship Record holder in the shot put 23.51m (77 ft in), just in off his world record.
As of September 2023, Crouser is the only man ever to throw farther than 23.50 meters. 13 of the 17 throws over 23 meters have been done by Crouser. He has thrown 75' or farther 26 times, and 22m or further over 240 times. The athlete with the second most throws over 22 meters has fewer than 70.
Crouser is the reigning consecutive two-time Olympic champion. He won the gold medal in the shot put at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, setting the Olympic Games record of . He defended that Olympic title at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, improving the Olympic record to . All six of his throws in the competition broke his previous 2016 Olympic Record.
In 2021, Crouser threw 22.82 m (74 ft in) to set a new world indoor shotput record in Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA. The previous 32 year old world indoor record of was set by Randy Barnes in 1989.
In 2022, Crouser led the first ever sweep of the shot put at the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon by winning and setting a World Championship record of 22.94m (75 ft 3 in).
Crouser has been named Track & Field News World Male Athlete of the Year. He has been awarded USA Track & Field's highest accolade, the Jesse Owens Award, and has twice been a finalist for Male Track and Field World Athlete of the Year by World Athletics, the international governing body for track and field. He has also won the Diamond League championship while setting a championship Diamond League Record.
At the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, Crouser won the silver medal in "the greatest – and closest – shot put competition ever" that "Redefines Men's Shot Put" according to World Athletics (formerly IAAF).
Crouser is a six-time USA national outdoor shot put champion 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021 (no USA National Outdoor Competition was held in 2020), 2022, 2023. He is a three-time USA National Indoor Shot Put Champion 2019, 2020, 2022. He is a four-time NCAA champion in the shot put indoors and outdoors for the University of Texas. He had previously won the gold medal in the boys' shot put at the 2009 World Youth Championships.
Early life and youth sports
Crouser was born in Portland, Oregon, on December 18, 1992, and raised in Boring. He belongs to a family of throwers; his father, Mitch Crouser, was an alternate on the 1984 Olympic discus team, his uncle Brian Crouser qualified for two Olympic teams in the javelin, his other uncle Dean Crouser was a good shot putter and discus thrower, and his cousins Sam and Haley are both javelin throwers. He took up track and field in fifth grade, but was initially not as good as his cousin Sam; he made his breakthrough in eighth and ninth grade.
In 2009, his sophomore year at Sam Barlow High School in Gresham, Oregon, Crouser set a national sophomore record with the 3.58 lb (1.62 kg) high school discus, throwing 202 ft 6 in (61.72 m); the mark was also the Oregon high school state record until Sam Crouser broke it the following year. Crouser won both the 5 kg shot and the 1.5 kg discus at the 2009 national youth championships, and was selected for the IAAF World Youth Championships in Bressanone, Italy in both events. In Bressanone he took gold in the shot put, breaking the championship record with a 21.56 m (70 ft 9 in) put in the fifth round; in the discus he won silver.
Crouser's 2010 season was hampered by a foot injury. He returned to top shape in 2011, breaking the national high school indoor record in the 12 lb (5.44 kg) shot put with 77 ft in (23.54 m); the mark placed him second behind Mike Carter's outdoor record on the all-time national high school list. Outdoors, he broke the national high school record in the discus, throwing 237 ft 6 in (72.40 m) to add one foot to Mason Finley's record from 2009. Crouser graduated from Barlow High after the 2011 season; he chose to go to the University of Texas instead of the family's traditional choice of the University of Oregon.
Athletic career
Collegiate career
As a collegiate freshman with the Texas Longhorns, Crouser placed fifth in the shot at the 2012 NCAA indoor championships and fourth in the discus at the outdoor championships; he injured his hand at the NCAA indoor meet, and the injury also affected his outdoor season.
Crouser suffered from infections during the next off-season, and his weight dropped heavily; he redshirted the 2013 indoor season to regain full health. He returned to action for the outdoor season, throwing a personal best 21.09 m (69 ft in) at the Big 12 conference championships; he won his first NCAA championship title in the shot put that summer with 20.31 m (66 ft in), but only placed eighth in the discus. Crouser, who had been successful academically, began to struggle somewhat with the heavy workload during his second year at Texas; he had originally planned to major in engineering, but switched to economics after that year.
Crouser won his first NCAA indoor shot put title in 2014, throwing 21.21 m (69 ft 7 in) and winning by almost four feet. He was briefly the outdoor world leader after improving his personal best to 21.27 m (69 ft in) at the Texas Relays on March 28. At the Big 12 outdoor championships he set personal bests and new meeting records in both the shot and the discus, with throws of 21.39 m (70 ft in) and 63.90 m (209 ft 9 in), respectively; it was the first time he broke 70 feet with the 16 lb (7.26 kg) shot. Crouser won his second consecutive shot put title at the 2014 NCAA outdoor championships, with a heave of 21.12 m (69 ft in), but injured his foot in the process; he had also qualified for the final in the discus, but was forced to scratch from that event.
In 2015 Crouser placed second behind Stipe Žunić at the NCAA indoor championships, reaching 20.93 m (68 ft 8 in) on his best attempt. His chances of winning a third consecutive NCAA outdoor title were spoiled as he re-aggravated an old thumb injury at the championships; he placed fifth in both the shot and the discus.
Due to red-shirting the 2013 indoor season, Crouser had one more winter of collegiate eligibility left; as a fifth-year senior, he threw a personal best 21.73 m (71 ft in) at the 2016 Big 12 indoor championships and won his second collegiate indoor title with a put of 21.28 m (69 ft in). Crouser's Big 12 mark equaled Ryan Whiting's collegiate indoor record from 2008; he ranked second behind New Zealand's Tom Walsh on the 2016 world indoor list.
Professional career
Crouser completed a two-year master's degree in finance in 2016. He then hired Paul Doyle as his agent. Crouser improved his personal best in the shot to 21.85 m (71 ft in) shortly before the 2016 United States Olympic Trials. This throw stood second in the U.S. on the yearly list, eleven inches behind reigning World Champion Joe Kovacs. At the Olympic Trials, on his second throw of the finals, Crouser uncorked a to not only win in an upset over Kovacs, but to become the number 18 thrower in history. A few weeks later, at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Crouser improved his personal best and standing on the all-time list three times. Already leading the competition, he threw a massive personal best in the fifth round to break the Olympic Record and secure the tenth best men's shot put performance of all time.
Crouser is a six-time USA national outdoor Shot Put champion 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021 (no USA National Outdoor Competition was held in 2020), 2022, 2023. He is a three-time USA National Indoor Shot Put Champion 2019, 2020, 2022. At the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, Crouser won the silver medal in "the greatest – and closest – shot put competition ever" that "Redefines Men's Shot Put" according to World Athletics (formerly IAAF). Crouser is a two time USA Indoor National Shot Put Champion (2019, 2020) and four time USA National Outdoor Shot Put Champion (2016, 2017, 2019, 2020/21).
In 2020, Crouser threw 22.60m indoors to make him the second best performer in world indoor history, only 6 cm behind Randy Barnes' record of 22.66m. Crouser's personal best of was thrown in July 2020 in the Atlanta, Georgia suburb of Marietta, tying him as third best performer of all time. In November 2020, he was named a Finalist for Male Track and Field World Athlete of the Year by World Athletics, the international governing body for track and field. In addition to his world leading 22.91m throw to place him third on the world all-time list, in 2020 Crouser was undefeated in all 10 meetings, had 36 throws of 22m/72-2.5 or better, with 14 of those farther than 22.56m/74-0, the highest total ever in a single year. By the end of the 2020 season, Crouser had thrown 22m/72-2.5 or more 104 times in his career, the most in history.
On his first throw of 2021, Crouser threw 22.82 m (74 ft in) to set a new World Indoor Shot Put Record in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The previous world indoor record of was set by Randy Barnes in 1989. Crouser also had a throw in the fourth round that also broke the 32-year-old world record. This 22.82 m (74 ft in) indoor world record is also the new USA Indoor Shot Put Record.
At the 2020 United States Olympic Trials, on June 18, 2021, Crouser threw 23.37m (76 ft in) to set a new World Shot Put Record. The previous world record of was set by Randy Barnes in 1990. "With his opening effort in the qualification round, he sent his shot out to 22.92m – the fifth best throw in history and the second-best mark of his career. Little more than six hours later, Crouser was back in action for the final. He opened with 22.61m to take an early lead, then followed it with 22.55m and 22.73m. By the half-way stage of the competition, two-time world champion Joe Kovacs was the only other man to have thrown beyond 22 metres (22.06m). The event came to life at the end of the fourth round. As soon as he launched the shot, and before it had landed well beyond the 23-metre line, Crouser punched the air with both fists, knowing he had released a huge throw. Just moments later, it was confirmed on the scoreboard: 23.37m, adding 25 centimetres to the world record set by Randy Barnes back in 1990, two years before Crouser was born". The 23.37m (76 ft in) World Record was ratified on August 11, 2021. This was also the new American outdoor shot put record.
On August 5, 2021, at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Crouser became a two-time Olympic champion. After winning the gold medal in the shot put at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and setting the Olympic Games record of , he defended his Olympic title and improved the Olympic record to . All six of Crouser's throws in the competition broke his previous 2016 Olympic Record.
Crouser was named Track & Field News 2021 World Male Athlete of the Year. He was awarded USA Track & Field's highest accolade, the Jesse Owens Award, and was also a finalist for 2021 Male Track and Field World Athlete of the Year by World Athletics, the international governing body for track and field. In addition to his Indoor World, Outdoor World, and Olympic record throws, other 2021 performances include the three farthest throws in history, 9 of the top 10 marks in 2021, remaining undefeated (since 2019), and winning the Diamond League while setting a new Diamond League Record. By the end of the 2021 season, Crouser had thrown or more 163 times, the most in history, and has achieved more than a third of all the 22 meter throws in history.
In 2023, at the World Championships in Budapest Hungary, Crouser won his second world title, setting a World Championship record of 23.51m (77 ft in), just 6.35 cm (in) off his world record. In 2022, after winning his sixth USA National Championship, Crouser led the first ever sweep of the shot put at the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon by winning and setting a World Championship record of 22.94m (75 ft 3 in). In his first Indoor World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, he won the silver medal with a throw of 22.44m (73 ft in).
On May 27, 2023, Crouser competed at the Los Angeles Grand Prix at Drake Stadium, where he threw an outdoor shot put world record of 23.56m (77 ft in). "He was already sending remarkable throws into the field before the record — his first attempt of 23.23m becomes the joint fifth-longest throw in history and his second attempt of 23.31m is the third-longest throw in history. His series also included marks of 22.94m, 22.86m and 22.80m." As of July 2023, Crouser is the only man ever to throw further than 23.50 meters. 13 of the 17 throws over 23 meters have been done by Crouser. He has thrown 75' or farther 26 times, and 22m or further over 240 times. The athlete with the second most throws over 22 meters has fewer than 70.
Coaching career
In December 2019, Crouser moved from the United States Olympic Training Center in San Diego to Fayetteville, Arkansas. He is a volunteer coach for the University of Arkansas men's track and field team.
References
External links
Ryan Crouser at All-Athletics
1992 births
Living people
Texas Longhorns men's track and field athletes
Track and field athletes from Portland, Oregon
American male shot putters
American male discus throwers
Sportspeople from Gresham, Oregon
Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field
Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Athletes (track and field) at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Olympic male shot putters
People from Boring, Oregon
World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States
World Athletics Championships winners
USA Indoor Track and Field Championships winners
USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners
Diamond League winners
World Athletics Indoor Championships medalists
World Athletics record holders