US Olympic Track and Field Trials 2021: Defending Champion Ryan Crouser sets new world record in shot put

Defending Olympic champion Ryan Crouser uncorked a world record throw to book his ticket to the Tokyo Olympics. He threw a monstrous 23.37m in the men’s shot put at the US Olympic Track and Field Trials held at Hayward Field in Eugene.

Ryan Crouser bettered the previous mark 0f 23.12m set by fellow American Randy Barnes in 1990. Crouser will be joined by 2016 Rio Games silver medalist Joe Kovacs and Payton Otterdahl as the top three finishers in the event made the US team for Tokyo.

Who is Ryan Crouser?

Ryan Crouser, 28, hails from the family of Olympic throwers. His father Mitch Crouser was an alternate on the 1984 discus team, while his uncle Brian Crouser featured on two Olympic teams in the javelin.

Ryan Crouser picked up track and field as a 10-year-old in fifth grade. But his breakthrough came in eighth and ninth grade.

In 2009, during his sophomore year at Sam Barlow High School, Oregon, he set a national record in the discus with an impressive 61.72m haul. He won both the 1.5kg discus and 5kg shotput at the 2009 youth nationals.

At IAAF World Youth Championship in Italy, he bagged a gold in the shot, breaking the championship record with a 21.56m throw. He also took home the discus silver.

2020 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team Trials - Day 1

He bagged a gold medal in the shot put, breaking the championship record with a 21.56m throw. He also won a silver medal in the discus event.

His dominance continued at the collegiate level as part of the Texas Longhorns.

Ryan Crouser, the 2016 Rio Games champion

By the time Ryan Crouser made it to the senior side, he was already dubbed the next big thing. Shortly before his 2016 US Olympic trials, Ryan Crouser had improved his personal best in shot put to 21.85m. It was the second-best throw on that year’s US list, behind Joe Kovacs.

Watch Video - Ryan Crouser's preparing for US Olympic Track and Field Trials

However, he got the better of Kovacs at the trials after an impressive throw of 22.11m. But his best came at the Rio Olympics. Ryan Crouser improved his PB after throwing a massive 22.52m and breaking the Olympic record.

Ryan Crouser's rise continued in world athletics. At the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Ryan Crouser won a silver. The following year, he was named a finalist for the ‘Male Track and Field World Athlete of the Year’.

US Olympic Track and Field Trials 2021 Full Results of Day 1

Women’s 1,500m first round:

Dani Aragon, Jenny Simpson and Elle Purrier St. Pierre won their heats. The semi-finals will be held on June 19 (USA Time).

Women’s 400m first round:

Allyson Felix won her heat in 50.99 seconds. She will be the favorite to make it to the Tokyo Olympic team. Quenera Hayes clocked 52.34 in the second heat, while Wadeline Jonathas finished top in third heat with 50.64. Kendall Ellis topped the charts in the final heat with 51.02 seconds. The semi-finals are on June 19 (USA Time).

Men’s 400m first round:

Trevor Stevart (44.75), Elija Godwin (44.81), Wil London (45.46), and Michael Cherry (44.86) were the winners of their respective heat. The semi-finals are on June 19.

Men’s 800m first round:

In order of top 3 finishers:

First heat – Abraham Alvarado, Bryce Hoppel and Shane Streich

Second heat – Donovan Brazier, Brannon Kidder and Isaiah Harris

Third heat – Michael Rhoads, Sean Dolan, Brandon Miller (added)

Fourth heat – Isaiah Jewett, Clayton Murphy, Jonah Koech (added)

Women’s high jump qualifying:

Rachel McCoy and Vashti Cunningham were amongst the 12 female athletes who have qualified for Sunday’s high jump final.

Women’s discus qualifying

Valarie Allman created a new US Olympic trials record of 229 feat and 8 inches. The final is on Saturday.

Women’s 5,000m first round:

Abbey Cooper achieved the Olympic qualifying standard time of 15 minutes and 10 seconds. She finished the race in 15:07.80 to advance to Monday’s final. Karissa Schweizer, Elise Cranny, Vanessa Fraser, Josette Norris and Gwen Jorgensen will also feature in the final.

Women’s 100m first round:

First heat: Gabby Thomas (11 sec)

Second heat: Cambrea Sturgis (11.15)

Third heat: Javianne Oliver (10.96 PB)

Final heat: Sha’Carri Richardson (10.84, fastest time in heats)

Women’s triple jump qualifying:

Ketura Orji registered the best jump 14.29m of the day.

Men’s 10,000m final:

Woody Kincaid clocked 27:53.62 to finish the race. His teammate Grant Fisher came second. Joe Klecker claimed the third and final slot in Team USA for the Tokyo Olympics.