POCATELLO, USA (Feb. 18) – Ryan Crouser, Olympic and World Championships gold medalist, shattered the men’s shot put world record with a massive throw of 23.38 meters at the Simplot Games in Pocatello, Idaho.
The event was one week after Crouser opened his season with a throw of 22.58m at the Millrose Games in New York and saw the world and Olympic champion add a centimeter to his own outright world record in Idaho.
Crouser’s previous best was the 23.37m he recorded outdoors at the US Olympic Trials in Eugene in June 2021. Meanwhile, his previous best indoors was the 22.82m he threw in Fayetteville in January of that year.
Despite the victory being in competition against college competitors, Crouser was ecstatic with his performance, calling it “the biggest surprise of my career.”
Afterward, Crouser revealed that he had taken an unorthodox approach to his preparation, stating, “I decided to take Thursday and Friday off from training. I would never have taken two rest days in a row before a meet until today, but I figured it was better than overtraining.”
Crouser’s latest achievement cements his place as one of the greatest shot putters of all time and raises the question of how much further he can push the world record in the years to come.
