Ryan Crouser sets Olympic record to lead USA's 1-2 finish in men's shot put
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RIO DE JANEIRO — Even with a pair of Olympic rookies in the final, American men threw their weight around in the shot put Thursday night, resulting in two medals.
Ryan Crouser took gold for the United States and teammate Joe Kovacs won silver, continuing a dominant track and field performance for the United States. Tomas Walsh of New Zealand took bronze.
The Americans’ showing also continues American primacy in shot put, marking the ninth straight Summer Games when U.S. men have earned at least one medal in the event. It’s also the first 1-2 finish in Olympic men’s shot put since 1996 when Randy Barnes and John Godina took gold and silver, respectively.
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Crouser dominated the field, setting personal bests with his second throw (22.22 meters) and third attempt (22.26). His fifth try was his best, and the best in Olympic history, when he uncorked a heave of 22.52 meters. Kovacs’ best mark of the night was 21.78 meters.
For Crouser, who comes from a family of men who throw things, this marks his biggest triumph. Crouser’s father, Mitch, was a discus alternate on the U.S. team for the 1984 Olympics. His uncle, Brian, threw javelin in both the ’88 and ’92 Olympics. He also has another uncle and two cousins who have competed in field events.
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Still, the 23-year-old Crouser didn’t come into his own until this year. The 6-foot-7, 290-pound behemoth threw a personal-best 22.11 meters at the U.S. Olympic trials to upset Kovacs, the defending world champion. Crouser was the top qualifier in the preliminaries, then backed it up in the final.
Kovacs narrowly missed making the 2012 Olympics, finishing fourth at trials. Adding this medal to his gold at the 2015 worlds makes the 27-year-old Penn State graduate’s four-year journey since then worth it.
