Current:Home > NewsRyan Crouser achieves historic Olympic three-peat in shot put -FundTrack
Ryan Crouser achieves historic Olympic three-peat in shot put
View
Date:2025-04-15 09:45:41
SAINT-DENIS, France — Ryan Crouser told USA TODAY Sports he was going for the Olympic three-peat. He did just that and cemented himself as the best shot putter of all time.
The U.S. shot putter won his third consecutive Olympic gold medal with a throw of 75 feet, 1¾ inches. He’s the only shot put thrower to win three Olympic gold medals in the event.
Team USA's Joe Kovacs finished second, throwing 69 feet, 4¾ inches. Jamaica's Rajindra Campbell came in third with nearly an identical mark, but it wasn't enough to overtake Kovacs.
Crouser is the world record holder (23.56 meters, or 77 feet, 3¾ inches) and he owns the Olympic record (23.30 meters). His third Olympic gold just adds to his unprecedented achievements in the sport.
"I was more aggressive, chasing big throws in the early rounds. I knew I had to put pressure on those guys with a big early-round throw, hopefully make them tighten up a little bit," Crouser said. "(Leonardo) Fabbri's been throwing extremely well, Joe (Kovacs) has been over 23 this year. So I knew from the start I had to come out swinging and was lucky enough to be in the driver's seat and be a little more reactive in the later rounds."
2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.
Crouser battled nagging elbow and pectoral injuries this season. He even had doubts that he’d make the team at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials. But those doubts are a distant memory now.
"This last month has been a trade-off between training intensity and training frequency. I've gone more with frequency. When I tried to amp up the intensity in training, the elbow didn't respond well to it. So the decision was to throw more often instead of throw and then spend two days to manage the elbow and try to throw again," Crouser said. "I wanted to throw back-to-back days and feel like I could throw technically. So I really just hammered the fundamentals but wasn't sure what kind of shape I was in just because I hadn't touched on the intensity. The body felt good but there's a big difference between feeling good and executing well."
➤ Get Olympics updates in your texts! Join USA TODAY Sports' WhatsApp Channel
Execution was no problem Saturday.
What’s next for the 31-year-old? The 6-foot-7 champ is going to continue throwing. He might dabble in the discus within the next few years, but he plans to aim for a four-peat at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
USA TODAY's Chase Goodbread contributed to this report. Follow USA TODAY Sports' Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast.Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
veryGood! (27176)
Related
- Taylor Swift makes surprise visit to Kansas City children’s hospital
- Donald Trump’s lawyers again ask for early verdict in civil fraud trial, judge says ‘no way’
- US wildlife managers capture wandering Mexican wolf, attempt dating game ahead of breeding season
- Remembering Norman Lear: The soundtrack of my life has been laughter
- NFL Week 15 picks straight up and against spread: Bills, Lions put No. 1 seed hopes on line
- How the presidents of Harvard, Penn and MIT testified to Congress on antisemitism
- White House open to new border expulsion law, mandatory detention and increased deportations in talks with Congress
- Man charged in double murder of Florida newlyweds, called pastor and confessed: Officials
- Jamie Foxx gets stitches after a glass is thrown at him during dinner in Beverly Hills
- Georgia and Alabama propose a deal to settle their water war over the Chattahoochee River
Ranking
- Kylie Jenner Shows Off Sweet Notes From Nieces Dream Kardashian & Chicago West
- Oprah Winfrey talks passing baton in The Color Purple adaptation: You have taken it and made it yours
- Suicide attacker used 264 pounds of explosives to target police station in Pakistan, killing 23
- Snow closes schools and highways in northern China for the second time this week
- Elon Musk's skyrocketing net worth: He's the first person with over $400 billion
- Marvel mania is over: How the comic book super-franchise started to unravel in 2023
- Police ask for charges in fatal stabbing of Detroit synagogue leader
- FBI to exhume woman’s body from unsolved 1969 killing in Netflix’s ‘The Keepers’
Recommendation
Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
US to spend $700M on new embassy in Ireland, breaks ground on new embassy in Saudi Arabia
Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour Officially Becomes Highest-Grossing Tour Ever
Cheating in sports: Michigan football the latest scandal. Why is playing by rules so hard?
Elon Musk's skyrocketing net worth: He's the first person with over $400 billion
Two beloved Christmas classics just joined the National Film Registry
New Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk is sworn in with his government
NFL power rankings Week 15: How high can Cowboys climb after landmark win?