"I think he'll be difficult to beat" - Ryan Crouser believes Leonardo Fabbri will be 'most excited' for their clash at Rome Diamond League

In a pre-competition interview, Ryan Crouser praised Leonardo Fabbri as not an easy competitor in the upcoming Diamond League, which will be held in Rome. Crousar's interview video on X (formerly Twitter) details his mindset heading to the Rome Diamond League after winning his third consecutive Olympic gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The Diamond League action will begin at 14:24 local time (GMT+2) with the men's shot put, followed by the main two-hour broadcast window at 16:00 local time with the women's 400m hurdles.

The official X account of Wanda Diamond League posted an interview video of Crouser on 29 August 2024. When the interviewer asked him about Fabbri being part of the competition, he said:

"I think it'll be a very good competition. Fabbri has spoken a lot about throwing in Rome. I know he's going to be the most excited athlete to compete tomorrow, I think, in the entire stadium. So I think he'll be difficult to beat.

"So I'm expecting a very good competition. I'm happy with how my training is going. Joe Kovacs is also shaking off jet lag coming off of Silesia. So I think the three of us, and possibly Payton Otterdall as well, I think it's going to be an extremely good competition."

Crouser is regarded as one of the greatest shot putters of all time.

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Ryan Crouser is the first to three-peat in the Olympic shot put event

Ryan Crouser cemented his place among the sport's legends at the Paris Olympics and became the first to three-peat in the Olympic men's shot put event.

Ryan Crouser at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games (Image via Getty)

The American raced to his third consecutive gold medal in as many attempts, becoming the first individual in Olympic history to win three crowns in a row. The United States has now won 20 men's Olympic shot put gold medals. Poland is the next best country, with three.

Crouser had his first Olympic victory eight years ago, in the 2016 Rio Games, with a throw of 2.52m, breaking the Olympic record and becoming the first American to win a shot put gold in over a decade. He had an even more dominant performance at the Tokyo Games, where he entered as the reigning world record holder, having jumped 22.37 meters at the U.S. Olympic Trials in July 2021. He defended his title by breaking his personal Olympic record of 23.30m.