EUGENE, Ore. — Ryan Crowther won his Olympic Trials debut in 2016 with a first-time throw of 22 meters, and in 2021 he broke the world record at the Olympic Trials.
Crowther said her third consecutive Olympic Trials victory Saturday night at Hayward Field after an injury-plagued spring may be her best yet.
“It was a big breath of relief and I felt like I proved I still have it,” he said after the hour-long victory lap and autograph-signing session.
Crowther, 31, of Boring, Oregon, would have won with any of his five fair throws, which ranged from 22.44 meters to 22.84 meters. His world record is 23.56 meters, more than a foot longer than any other man.
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Just like in 2021, second and third place went to Joe Kovacs (22.43) and Payton Otterdahl (22.26).
The United States will hold three of the top four spots in the 2024 world rankings. The U.S. has the chance to sweep the Olympic shot put medals for the eighth time (and first since 1960) when the U.S. begins competition in Paris on August 3.
But first, Crowther must make the most of the next six weeks.
Crowther wasn't planning on making his outdoor season debut at the trials, but while winning his first world indoor title on March 1, Crowther “strained” a nerve in his right throwing elbow.
Just as his nerve condition was beginning to improve, he tore a pectoral muscle while bench pressing on April 11. The nerve pain returned after that, and he underwent hydrotomy surgery on his elbow on April 13.
He hadn't pitched a real ball in nearly three months, until late May.
When he returned to shoot practice at his Arkansas home, he struggled to throw the 16-pound ball 19 or 20 meters, a distance he estimated he hadn't thrown that far since his freshman year at the University of Texas.
“I had two hard practice pitches in the last two weeks before the trials,” he said. “One was really bad, the other was okay.”
Though still inexperienced, Crowther recorded his best throw on Saturday, good enough to rank third in the world this season behind Kovac (23.13 in May) and Italy's Leonardo Fabbri (22.95 in May).
Crowther is no stranger to setbacks, having previously broken his leg, torn ligaments in his hand and injured a pectoral muscle.
Crowther repeated as world champion last August, arguably his greatest achievement, despite two blood clots in his left leg, and he finished with the second-best throwing record of all time at the event.
In Paris, Crowther will be aiming to become the first person to win the Olympic shot put title three times and the oldest person to win a gold medal in the event since 1972.
The challengers may be his toughest yet: Entering this Olympic cycle, Kovac is the second-best thrower of all time, while Fabbri is fifth.
Crowther is full of confidence.
“The most important thing is to win the Olympics. The distance is a bonus, but I want to be in good enough shape to run my personal best at the Olympics,” he said. “The best thing about being a world record holder is that if I run a personal best, it becomes a new world record.”
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