The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
World record holder Ryan Crouser to serve as Honorary Referee for 95th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays presented by Truist
03.01.2023 | Texas Relays, Track & Field / Cross Country
The Longhorn Legend, National Champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist returns to Austin for the prestigious honor.
AUSTIN, Texas – The University of Texas has announced that Longhorn Track and Field legend, shot put world record holder and two-time Olympic gold medalist Ryan Crouser will serve as the Honorary Referee for the 95th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays presented by Truist. Crouser will be on site and honored at the event, which will be held on March 29-April 1 at Mike A. Myers Stadium. Just the fourth man in the history of the Olympic Games to repeat as shot put gold medalist, Crouser is the first Longhorn to win multiple individual gold medals in Texas Track and Field history and currently holds both the indoor and outdoor world records in the shot put.
"We are so fired up to have Ryan back on campus and serving as our Texas Relays Honorary Referee," said UT Vice President and Athletics Director Chris Del Conte. "He's an absolutely huge Longhorn — literally and figuratively – a legend of our great university, a track and field icon and just an awesome person, too. Talk about what starts here changing the world, Ryan's one of our most-decorated Olympians in our rich and storied history, is the greatest shot putter ever, and he's still in the prime of his career. I can't wait to celebrate him and hear the roar of the crowd when he takes the field at Myers Stadium later this month, it's going to be so great to have him back home."
The towering 6-foot-7-inch Texas Ex, Crouser has a long and proud resume filled with accolades that have established him as the greatest shot putter ever. A 2015 UT graduate with a bachelor's degree in economics and 2016 master's degree in finance, he closed out his career on the Forty Acres as the school's indoor (21.73m/71-3.5) and outdoor (21.39m/70-2.25) shot put record holder, while also setting the UT record in the discus (63.90m/209-8). He was a four-time NCAA shot put champion (two indoor/two outdoor), 11-time All-American (first-team nine times), and eight-time Big 12 Champion (six in shot put, twice in discus). That included an epic reign as the nation's premier collegiate shot putter, winning national titles in three consecutive NCAA championships (2013 outdoor, 2014 indoor, 2014 outdoor), along with a total of six-straight Big 12 indoor/outdoor titles from 2014-16. While donning the Burnt Orange and White, Crouser was named the Big 12 Indoor Freshman of the Year in 2012 and the 2014 USTFCCCA Men's National Field Athlete of the Year. One of the nation's top student-athletes, as well, he registered the rare double of first-team All-America and first-team Academic All-America honoree in 2016.
"I'm honored to be returning to the Texas Relays," Crouser said. "As a Texas Track and Field alumni, I reflect on the excitement and electric atmosphere of the relays and can't wait to share that with the talented group of student-athletes."
The Boring, Oregon (Barlow High School) native took to winning at an early age, claiming gold in the World Youth Championships in 2009 in the shot put and silver in the discus. Since, he has represented the Stars and Stripes consistently at a very high level, winning the 2016 and 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials and including those, earning a total of six USA Track and Field titles in the shot put — four outdoors (2016, 2017, 2019, 2020) and two indoors (2019, 2020). Additionally, he is the reigning IAAF World Outdoor Champion in the shot put, securing that title with a championships record throw of 22.94m (75-3) in 2022, and also earned a silver medal at the 2019 World Championships. He was the silver medalist at the 2022 IAAF World Indoor Championship, and brought home both a gold (shot put) and silver (discus) at the IAAF World U18 Championships outdoors as a high schooler in 2009.
"Having Ryan Crouser, aka the shot put cowboy, back in Austin is a special treat," Head Coach Edrick Floréal said. "His innovation and creativity, as it relates to the shot put, are mind-boggling and you can't forget to mention the medal collection. He truly is a Longhorn legend in the flesh. He continues to dominate and bring excitement to our sports and we're thrilled to honor one of our best at the Texas Relays this year."
With all of that success, his performances reached mythical proportions at the Olympic Games. He first established himself as the world's greatest shot putter at the Rio Games in 2016 when a new Olympic record toss set the stage as he became the first individual Olympic gold medalist in Texas Men's Track and Field history. His winning mark of 22.52m (73-10.75) at that time ranked as the 10th-best all-time and blazed the trail for his historic next several years heading into the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which were initially postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic and later held in 2021. Crouser shattered the 31-year old shot put world record with a winning throw of 23.37m/76-8.25 at the U.S. Olympic Trials in June 2021 in Eugene, surpassing the record set by Randy Barnes in 1990 (23.12m/75-10.25) by eight inches. Two months later in Tokyo, the Longhorn Legend registered one of the best series of throws ever, including a new Olympic record throw (23.30m/76-5.25) that secured his second gold medal. 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 second-best toss in the history of the event on a dramatic and historic final attempt. He followed that with the 2022 world championship title last summer.
"My time at Texas laid the foundation for my success as a professional athlete," Crouser said. "The dedication on the field and in the classroom instilled in me that hard work pays off, and even if I'm not the most talented person in the field, I can outwork them to be successful. The sense of team in what tends to be an individual sport was second to none, and I look back fondly at the lifelong friendships I share with my past UT teammates."
He received the USATF's (United States Track & Field Association) Jesse Owens Award, our country's highest honor and Male Athlete of the Year award in the sport, in 2021. He also was recognized with the USATF Wing Award for the Best Olympic Field Performance that year, an honor he won following the 2016 Rio Games as well. He's been a finalist for both of those awards multiple times as well, including his World Championship-winning year of 2022.
Crouser continues to take the world by storm, most recently breaking the outright world indoor record in the shot put with his throw of 23.38m (76-8.50) at the Simplot Games in Pocatello, Idaho. He holds six of the top seven indoor throws and six of the top 10 outdoor throws in world history.
Ryan Crouser's 23.38m throw 😳 (WR) pic.twitter.com/JU6JB5WB1z
— Throwers Universe (@ThrowersUni) February 23, 2023
Later in March, he'll be a prominent fixture as the Honorary Referee for the historic 95th running of the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays presented by Truist.
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