American Ryan Crouser improved the outright men’s world shot put record this weekend after he threw 23.38 meters in the Elite Shot Put event at the Simplot Games in Pocatello, Idaho, on Saturday (18). He admits afterwards that he was surprised by the performance.
“It really surprised me,” Crouser said, according to DyeStat. “I did a speech, just yesterday, about the two kinds of world records. There’s the surprise and there’s the finally.
“There’s the one where you do it and you’re the most surprised person and there’s the finally world record, you do it and say finally.”
Crouser added: “Because when I first threw the 23.37 outdoors, that was a finally. I’d had five or six meets where I would have bet the house I was going to break the world record and I didn’t. I got a little bit tight.”
The 30-year-old’s effort this weekend was impressive, as he achieved it from a short spin start en route to surpassing his previous record by a centimeter. The old world record for both indoor and outdoor of 23.37m was set at the US Olympic Trials in Eugene in June 2021.
Watch Ryan Crouser breaks world shot put record with 23.38m in Idaho
Crouser had opened his season with a throw of 22.58m at the Millrose Games in New York a week prior to this historic performance. – Read more: Joe Kovacs delivers world-leading 23.23m to beat Ryan Crouser at Diamond League Final
He opted to compete at the Simplot Games instead of participating in the event at the 2023 USATF Indoor Championships, currently taking place in Albuquerque.
Crouser, who is the reigning Olympic and world champion, has now thrown beyond the 23-meter mark in seven competitions throughout his career. Only three other athletes in history have achieved this feat.
The previous best throw in indoor competition for Crouser was 22.82m, which he achieved in Fayetteville in January 2021.
—Photo credit to Becky Holbrook
Information from World Athletics was used.
