Ryan Crouser, American shot putter
Ryan Crouser (born December 18, 1992) is an American shot putter and discus thrower. He is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and Olympic record holder. Crouser is the current world record holder in the shot put, both indoor and outdoor. On June 18, 2021, at the U.S. Olympic Trials he threw 23.37 m (76 ft 8+1⁄4 in) on his fourth attempt to beat Randy Barnes's 31-year-old record of 23.12 m by almost 10 inches (25 cm). On January 24, 2021, he threw 22.82 m (74 ft 10+1⁄2 in) to set a new world indoor shotput record in Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA. The previous world indoor record of 22.66 m (74 ft 4 in) was set by Barnes in 1989. Crouser also had a 22.70 m (74 ft 5+1⁄2 in) throw in the fourth round that broke the 32-year-old world record.Crouser is the reigning consecutive two-time Olympic champion. He won the gold medal in the shot put at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, setting the Olympic Games record of 22.52 m (73 ft 10+1⁄2 in). He defended that Olympic title at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, improving the Olympic record to 23.30 m (76 ft 5+1⁄4 in). All six of his throws in the competition broke his previous 2016 Olympic Record.Crouser was named Track & Field News 2021 World Male Athlete of the Year. He was awarded USA Track & Field's highest accolade, the Jesse Owens Award, and was also a finalist for 2021 Male Track and Field World Athlete of the Year by World Athletics, the international governing body for track and field. In addition to his Indoor World, Outdoor World, and Olympic record throws, other 2021 performances include the three farthest throws in history, 9 of the top 10 marks in 2021, remaining undefeated (since 2019), and winning the Diamond League while setting a new Diamond League Record. By the end of the 2021 season, Crouser had thrown 22 m (72 ft 2 in) or more 163 times, the most in history, and has achieved more than a third of all the 22 meter throws in history.At the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, Crouser won the silver medal in "the greatest – and closest – shot put competition ever" that "Redefines Men's Shot Put" according to World Athletics (formerly IAAF). He is a four-time USA national outdoor shot put champion 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2021 (no USA National Outdoor Competition was held in 2020). He is a two-time USA National Indoor Shot Put Champion 2019, 2020. He is a four-time NCAA champion in the shot put indoors and outdoors for the University of Texas. He had previously won the gold medal in the boys' shot put at the 2009 World Youth Championships.