Ryan Crouser has continued to build his legendary resume with an unprecedented third Olympic title in the men’s shot put. The world record holder improved on each of his first three throws, eventually posting a mark of 22.90m to take down one of the best fields ever assembled. Throwers battled through rainy conditions in the second half of the competition, but Crouser’s compatriot, Joe Kovacs, and Jamaica’s Rajindra Campbell were able to manage finishes on the podium in silver and bronze, respectively.

Here’s what you need to know:

- Crouser is the first person to ever win three straight Olympic shot put titles. He is only the fifth thrower to ever win three consecutive Olympic golds in their event. With an ancillary mark of 22.69m in his series, Crouser now owns the seven best throws in Olympic history.

- Rain started to fall in Stade de France after the third round, where the field was cut down to eight men. The conditions severely hampered the second half of this competition. Of the 23 throws taken in rounds four through six, only six were legal marks, and only three were beyond 20.50m. Several throwers visibly slipped or even fell, but officials never delayed the competition for more than a few moments.

- The rain seemed to benefit Campbell and Payton Otterdahl, who both got in 22m throws just before the rain started and sat comfortably in second and third, respectively, throughout much of the final three rounds. That was, until…

- Kovacs defined “clutch” today with a 22.15m heave in round six. The conditions had cleared up a bit in the final round and the ring at least appeared to be drier, but it was still far from ideal. The two-time World champ looked smoother in the ring than anybody else had since it had become slick with rain, and he was rewarded for it. His mark moved him ahead of Otterdahl and tied him with Campbell, but Kovacs’ second-best mark was 21.71m while Campbell’s was only 20.00m. This silver medal is the eighth-straight outdoor global podium for Kovacs.

- Otterdahl tried to answer, improving from 22.01m to 22.03m on his final throw, but it wasn’t enough to avoid a fourth-place finish. This is the best finish for the 28-year-old across his three global championship appearances.

- Campbell’s bronze is the first Olympic medal ever won by a Jamaican thrower. It is especially gratifying for Campbell because he fouled out of his first two global championship appearances, in Budapest and Glasgow.

Here’s what they said:

“Throwing a 16-pound ball as far as you can for a living beats you up. Three golds is a testament to that — to be the first to win three golds. I think it’s a combination of things. The sacrifice, the dedication. The group - Joe, Tom Walsh, now Rajindra - just pushing all of us to be better. Winning three golds is a testament to how much those guys have pushed me.”

- Ryan Crouser on becoming the first shot putter to win three Olympic golds.

"Once the rain started, I saw three guys go down and fall, which is never something you want to see, especially being in 4th place in the last round. That last throw definitely wasn't the best technical throw, but I tapped into the emotions on that one to make it go. I'm proud that in that moment, especially under the conditions, I kinda could find a way to punch one out there and keep that streak alive."

- Joe Kovacs on his 22.15m throw in round six that moved him into the silver medal position.

"If you google 'shot put,' these two pop up first before everyone else. They deserve everything they've accomplished, and as a young thrower the goal is to accomplish what they have. I'm still hungry, I'm not going to settle for what I have this year."

- Rajindra Campbell on his ambitions now that he's an Olympic medalist.

By The Numbers:

- Crouser joins Al Oerter (discus), Jan Zelezny (javelin), John Flanagan (hammer throw), and Anita Wlodarczyk (hammer) as the only throwers to win three Olympic golds.

- With throws of 23.30m, 22.93m, 22.86m, 22.83m, and 22.74m in Tokyo as well as 22.90m and 22.69m last night, Crouser now owns the seven best individual throws in Olympic history.

- Crouser and Kovacs have landed on the top two podium spots for the third straight Olympics.

- Kovacs is no stranger to big round six efforts, as his 22.91m winning mark from the 2019 World Championships in Doha is one of the most legendary throws in the sport's history.

- Otterdahl's mark of 22.03m is the best ever fourth-place finish at the Olympics.

- Three of the eight finalists (Crouser, Campbell, Enekwechi) fouled each of their throws in the final three rounds, largely due to the conditions of the circle.

Results:

1. 🇺🇸 Ryan Crouser - 22.90
2. 🇺🇸 Joe Kovacs - 22.15
3. 🇯🇲 Rajindra Campbell - 22.15
4. 🇺🇸 Payton Otterdahl - 22.03
5. 🇮🇹 Leonardo Fabbri - 21.70
6. 🇳🇬 Chukwuebuka Cornnell Enekwechi - 21.42
7. 🇳🇿 Jacko Gill - 21.15
8. 🇲🇽 Uziel Muñoz - 20.88
9. 🇳🇴 Marcus Thomsen - 20.67
10. 🇨🇿 Tomáš Staněk - 20.37
11. 🇮🇹 Zane Weir - 20.24
🇳🇿 Tom Walsh - NM

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