Crouser breaks Olympic record to win shot put gold

Author: Agencies

Ryan Crouser beat his own Olympic record to defend his shot put title at Tokyo 2020 on Thursday.

The American managed a 23.30m throw on his final attempt in sweltering conditions at the Olympic Stadium.

The world record holder maintained the lead from his first throw, pushing compatriot and world champion Joe Kovacs into second place after his best attempt of 22.65m.

New Zealand’s Tomas Walsh claimed the bronze with his 22.47m put.

It’s the first time in an individual sport that the Olympic podium has not changed since the previous Games.

Crouser, who broke the world record of 23.37m at the US Olympic trials in June, was raised in a family of athletes and credits his grandfather Larry for his love of the sport.

His father Mitch was a reserve on the 1984 Los Angeles discus team, while his uncle Brian was a two-time Olympian in the javelin.

Crouser’s cousin Sam also represented the United States in the javelin at the Rio Games in 2016.

After his gold medal was confirmed in Tokyo, Crouser donned a cowboy hat and showed to the cameras a home-made sign saying, “Grandpa, we did it, 2020 Olympic champion.”