Ryan Crouser sets meeting record at Ivan Ivancic Memorial shot put event en route to victory
The double Olympic champion returned to the Croatian capital and set a meeting record at the event for the second-straight year
Athletics
Tokyo 2020 Olympic shot put champion Ryan Crouser of the United States continued his winning ways Monday (13 September) at the Ivan Ivancevic Memorial shot put event in Zagreb, Croatia.
The American threw a meeting record of 22.84m to claim the title, ahead of Tokyo bronze medallist Tomas Walsh of New Zealand, whose best mark was 22.39m. Team USA's Joe Kovacs, who was the silver medallist at the 2020 Olympic Games, finished third at 21.70m.
In addition to being a meeting record, Crouser's 22.84m throw is the best throw on the European continent since Ulf Timmermann threw 23.06m in May 1988. Crouser, 28, threw his hands up immediately upon release of his record-setting throw, knowing that history had been made.
2021 has been quite the season for Crouser.
Not only did he smash a 31-year-old shot put world record at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field trials with a throw of 23.37m, he also successfully defended his Olympic title at Tokyo 2020.
Crouser, who threw 23.30m in Japan, set a new Olympic Record on his way to clinching a back-to-back titles.
Just last week 8 (September), the American continued to stamp his authority over the shot put event after he claimed his first Diamond League trophy. The newly crowned champion marked the occasion by throwing a new meeting record of 22.67m.