PARIS: World record-holder Ryan Crouser said his unprecedented third consecutive Olympic title in the men’s shot put on Saturday “definitely means the most” of the trio.
The 31-year-old American, who previously won at the 2016 Rio Games and in Tokyo in 2021, managed a season’s best of 22.90 metres with his third effort for victory at the Stade de France.
Crouser’s US teammate Joe Kovacs snatched silver with his sixth and last attempt of 22.15m — the third time he has finished runner-up to his compatriot — and Jamaican Rajindra Campbell took bronze despite registering the same distance.
Other athletes to have won two consecutive shot put golds are the American pair of Ralph Rose (1904, 1908), Parry O’Brien (1952, 1956), and Poland’s Tomasz Majewski (2008, 2012)
But Crouser’s victory — the 20th time an American has won the event in 30 Olympics — puts him in a different class.
“It definitely, I think, means the most out of all of them,” said Crouser.
“I mean, kind of how Tokyo felt, fresh off a world record, felt like it was mine to lose.
“Tonight, I’m number three coming in on the performance list, and so it let me play a little bit more fast and loose.
“In Rio I was the new guy on the block, first year professional, so that one, I don’t want to say it was lucky, but it was definitely the least appreciated for me.
“So this one it’s definitely the sweetest victory out of all of them, overcoming the questions of if I would be able to get to this point again.”
