American Ryan Crouser cemented his legend as the greatest in the shot put by winning his third straight Olympic gold with his world record ensuring that no one had thrown a 16-pound ball farther.
On a rainy Saturday at Stade de France, Crouser and his fellow competitors settled into the circle, but his 22.90m throw on the second attempt sealed the victory. His teammate Joe Kovacs earned the silver — his third silver — with a 22.15m throw as Jamaica’s Rajindra Campbell took the bronze (22.15m).
“It’s that constant back of the mind thought that I’ve got to hold myself accountable because if I don’t, these guys are going to pass me,” Crouser said after the final.
The 31-year-old Crouser is in a rare space in the event historically, snapping a tie he held with Ralph Rose (1904, 1908), Parry O’Brien (1952, 1956) and Tomasz Majewski (2008, 2012) as the only athletes to win gold twice and in consecutive Olympics.
Crouser already plans to be in the mix for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, as the latter part of his historic career comes into focus.
“As an American athlete, to hang up my shoes on American soil and a home Olympics would be a dream come true,” he said. “It’s a long ways off. I don’t know how Joe (Kovacs) is doing it at 35. I’m feeling it at 31 to be honest.”
Heading into Paris, Crouser has navigated the injury bug, since aggravating the ulnar nerve of his elbow at World Indoors in March, then dealing pectoral muscle teach in a workout in April. He underwent a procedure on his elbow in the spring after ulnar nerve resurfaced. Crouser was forced to alter his training methods and stopped throws on consecutive days as Paris approached.
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