The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Crouser captures shot put gold in record-setting performance at Tokyo Olympics
08.04.2021 | Track & Field / Cross Country
Texas Legend Ryan Crouser won his second-consecutive Olympic gold medal in the men’s shot put with a record toss of 23.30m.
TOKYO – In the greatest Olympic shot put competition ever, University of Texas Track & Field great Ryan Crouser won his second-straight Olympic gold medal with a record toss of 23.30 meters in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics at Olympic Stadium on Thursday morning.
Crouser registered one of the best series of throws in history. Each of his six attempts cleared the previous Olympic record of 22.52m that he established at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, culminating with the record-setting toss of 23.30m with his final attempt.
On his first attempt, Crouser shattered his previous record with a mark of 22.83m, only to top it on his second attempt with a toss of 22.93m. He followed that with throws of 22.86m, 22.74m and 22.52m. His final toss of 23.30m is the second-best mark in history, only behind his world record of 23.37m that he established at the U.S. Olympic Trials in June.
The competition featured nine of the top 11 marks in Olympic history, with Crouser collecting the top five in this contest alone. Crouser's Team USA teammate Joe Kovacs claimed the silver medal with a mark of 22.65m, the sixth-best toss in Olympic history, while also providing the seventh-best heave of 22.60m. Tomas Walsh of New Zealand took home the bronze medal with a mark of 22.47m, tied for the 10th-best throw in Olympic history.
All told, there were 11 throws of 22 meters or better in the final, with Crouser supplying six of them, Kovacs three and Walsh two.
Crouser is the first American to win consecutive Olympic shot put crowns since Parry O'Brien accomplished the feat in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics and 1956 Melbourne Olympics.
With the victory, Crouser became the first Longhorn to win multiple individual Track & Field gold medals.
Men's Shot Put (Top 3 in Finals)
1. Ryan Crouser (USA) – 23.30m
2. Joe Kovacs (USA) – 22.65m
3. Tomas Walsh (New Zealand) – 22.47m
Top 2 All-Time Shot Put Performances
1. Ryan Crouser – 23.37m
2. Ryan Crouser – 23.30m
Top 10 Olympic Shot Put Performances
1. Ryan Crouser (USA) – 23.30m, Tokyo 2020
2. Ryan Crouser (USA) – 22.93m, Tokyo 2020
3. Ryan Crouser (USA) – 22.86m, Tokyo 2020
4. Ryan Crouser (USA) – 22.83m, Tokyo 2020
5. Ryan Crouser (USA) – 22.74m, Tokyo 2020
6. Joe Kovacs (USA) – 22.65m, Tokyo 2020
7. Joe Kovacs (USA) – 22.60m, Tokyo 2020
8. Ryan Crouser (USA) – 22.54m, Tokyo 2020
9. Ryan Crouser (USA) – 22.52m, Rio 2016
10. Ulf Timmerman (Germany) – 22.47m, Seoul 1988
10. Tomas Walsh (New Zealand) – 22.47m, Tokyo 2020
Repeat Olympic Men's Shot Put Champions
Ralph Rose – USA (St. Louis 1904, London 1908)
Parry O'Brien – USA (Helsinki 1952, Melbourne 1956)
Tomasz Majewski – Poland (Beijing 2008, London 2012)
Ryan Crouser – USA (Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020)