Shot Put Champion Gets Big Mark On First Throw Tuesday

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Ryan Crouser is so eager for a chance to compete that he talked Drake Relays meet director Blake Boldon into letting him throw twice this week. 

Crouser, the 2016 Olympic Games shot put champion, continues to try and close the gap on the world record and he muscled out a one-centimeter personal best July 18 when he threw 75 feet, 1.75 inches (22.91m) at an American Track League event at Life University in Georgia. 

On Tuesday, Crouser returned to Des Moines, Iowa and took on former NCAA Division 1 champion Payton Otterdahl and three other throwers in a special shot put competition sponsored by Delta Dental of Iowa linked to the Drake Blue Oval Showcase. He got off to a big start with 74-0.50 (22.56m) on his first attempt – more than enough to win the competition. 

On his five remaining throws, he collected three more 22-meter efforts and a pair of fouls. 

It was a good showing for a competition in an empty stadium. 

"It felt different in a meet atmosphere. It had an intensity that I hadn't been able to capture in practice," Crouser said via Zoom. "That first throw was nice and easy. The second throw was nice and easy as well, 22.50 and I even missed that a little bit. I felt content with those first two rounds, but then as I tried to get on it a little more and find that next gear, just couldn't quite capture that."

Crouser said he has been throwing with his coach, Arkansas' Mario Sategna, and one other training partner at a local middle school in Fayetteville, Ark. He's also used an elementary school field and a parking lot for training grounds.

Crouser is set to throw again Saturday in the main portion of the Drake Blue Oval Showcase.

He has eight marks beyond 22 meters during the outdoor season, with no other athlete in the world producing even one. Crouser surpassed 22 meters four times indoors, again with no other throwers eclipsing the barrier.

"Competitions have been so few and far between I figured it would be good to get out there and compete twice in a week, hopefully to get that feeling (back)," Crouser said. "I couldn't really amp it up on rounds three, four, five and six like I would hope to. But that's kind of just a classic early season blunder of not having taken a lot of meet throws."

Otterdahl, the NCAA Indoor shot put and weight throw champion in 2019 at North Dakota State, was second with 69-4.50 (21.14m). Nick Ponzio, a former USC All-American, was third with 68-1.50 (20.76m). Former Lehigh athlete Luke Warning was fourth (18.33m).

Paralympian world record holder (T46) Josh Cinnamo was fifth with 15.69m and had four fouls in six attempts.