Paris 2024 athletics: USA superstar Ryan Crouser lands shot-put "three-peat"
USA superstar Ryan Crouser won an unprecedented third Olympic shot-put gold medal at Stade France in Paris 2024 on Saturday, 3 August.
The 31-year-old American became the first man to win three gold medals in the throws event at the Games adding to the titles he won in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 in 2021.
Crouser produced a season’s best heave of 22.90 metres to clinch his record-setting third Olympic gold.
Joe Kovacs rose to the occasion on his final attempt of the night, moving from fourth to second place to clinch his third consecutive silver with a distance of 22.15m for another USA 1-2 podium.
Rounding out the podium, Rajindra Campbell became the first Jamaican ever to win a shot-put medal at the Olympics with a best throw of 22.15m.
As he entered Stade de France, Crouser lunged into a thinker pose before he made his way to the shot-put circle.
Crouser threw down the gauntlet with a monstrous opening heave of 22.64m before basking in the vibe of the stadium. With that throw, Crouser put some distance between himself and his challengers.
He added five centimetres on his second attempt and tightened his grip on the third with his best throw of the year, launching the put to 22.90m.
Rain started falling, complicating matters for the men looking to knock Crouser off his perch. Crouser had two no-throws on his fourth and fifth attempts, but it would be of no consequence as he had the gold all wrapped up.
The American giant completed a remarkable comeback for his third Olympic gold after suffering a slew of injuries since winning his back-to-back world titles in 2022 and 2023. The world record holder battled an elbow injury before he tore his pectoral muscle during a bench press workout in April.
Men’s shot-put podium:
Gold: Ryan Crouser (USA)
Silver: Joe Kovacs (USA)
Bronze: Rajindra Campbell (Jamaica)