World Athletics Championships 2023: Ryan Crouser comes close to world record, wins men's shot put world title at track and field worlds
Despite competing with blood clots in his legs, the Olympic and defending world champion breaks the Championship record en route to gold in Budapest.
Athletics
There is no stopping Ryan Crouser in the men's shot put right now.
Not even blood clots in his legs prevented the 30-year-old from throwing a new Championship record to win track and field gold at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, on Saturday (19 August).
The defending champion and world record holder retained his title with a massive 23.51m throw on his final attempt, falling just five centimetres shy of his own world record. He had earlier already extended his own Championship best from last year on his second throw (22.98), and was guaranteed the gold medal before his final attempt.
For a few fleeting seconds, both Crouser and the packed National Athletics Centre seemed to think the American had broken his own world record, although it was not to be.
"That was a tough one. The last throw was testament to all the hard work and dedication over the last year. The last few days have been hard, so it with all that has happened it was a phenomenal throw," he said in a post-event trackside interview.
Italy's Leonardo Fabbri scored a big personal best to win silver, his 22.34m adding 35cm to his previous mark. Bronze went to the USA's Joe Kovacs, who was cheered loudly by the Hungarian crowd due to his roots in the country.
Kovacs' 22.12m fifth throw was enough to put him ahead of New Zealand's Tom Walsh for the last medal.