PORTLAND, Ore. (KGW) — Olympic champion and Oregon native Ryan Crouser set a new world record in the men’s shot put at the USA Track & Field Los Angeles Grand Prix on Saturday.
The Sam Barlow High School graduate threw 23.56 meters (77.3 feet) at Drake Stadium on the University of California Los Angeles campus. His throw exceeded his previous record of 23.37 meters (76.7 feet), which he set in 2021 during the Tokyo Olympic Trials in Eugene. The two-time Olympian also threw 23.31 and 23.23 meters on Saturday.
He now holds the four longest throws ever recorded, and his 23.23-meter (76.2 feet) throw on Saturday takes the fifth spot, NBC reported.
When asked what it felt like to have the top four throws in shot put history, Crouser said this year’s competition is only getting started and he’s excited to see what else he can do.
“It’s early in the year,” Crouser said in an interview with NBC. “It’s a great season opener. First meet with good weather I’ve had this year, so the training I think kind of showed itself.”
Crouser — who is 6 feet, 7 inches tall — said the 7-foot rings that he throws from at competitions are small for his stature, but he recently changed his throwing technique and it’s made a difference.
“I’ve added that extra slide, the guys have named it the Crouser slide,” he told NBC. “That snap out of the back, making the circle a bit bigger, adding a wider radius. This is the first meet I’ve had, find that connection and that spread over my standard folder.”
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