Paris Olympics: Ryan Crouser wins third straight shot put gold as U.S. takes gold and silver

PARIS — At the end of the shot put competition at U.S. Olympic Trials earlier this summer, Ryan Crouser expressed absolute confidence in the trio of throwers that had qualified for Paris that day.

The seven-time U.S. shot put champion said that he, Joe Kovacs and Payton Otterdahl would be difficult for the best throwers from other countries to beat.

“If the whole world had to come to Olympic Trials, they might have qualified one guy,” Crouser said. Then he chuckled and added, “Maybe.”

Crouser’s assessment of the gap between American shot putters and the rest of the world proved to be pretty darn accurate. For the third straight Olympics, the U.S. put two men on the podium in the men’s shot put final.

Crouser on Saturday night became the first shot putter ever to win three straight Olympic gold medals, backing up his big talk with three throws over 22 meters. The eventual winning throw of 22.90 meters in the third round had Crouser raising his arms, fist pumping and encouraging the 80,000 fans at Stade de France to make noise.

When a light rain began falling during the fourth round, it didn’t help anyone else’s chances of catching Crouser. Kovacs captured silver with a dramatic final-round throw throw of 22.15 meters. Rajindra Campbell of Jamaica took bronze and broke up a potential U.S. sweep with a second-round throw of 22.15 meters. The hard-luck fourth-place finisher was Otterdahl, bypassed for a medal by Kovacs’ final throw.

That Crouser managed to win his third gold is a testament to his resilience. The world record holder injured the ulnar nerve in his throwing elbow in March and tore a pectoral muscle while bench pressing in April.

Doctors didn’t clear Crouser to begin throwing again until almost June and he didn’t compete for the first time until the U.S. Olympic Trials. Crouser quickly disproved the notion that he was vulnerable, unleashing a fourth-round throw of 22.84 meters to surpass Kovacs and Otterdahl.