Olympian Ryan Crouser’s physique can be best described as mountainous. His massive 6-foot-7 320-pound frame, along with his dedicated training, has helped bolster him to become one of the strongest shot-putters in the world.
Crouser was born in Portland, Oregon, and spent his formative years about 40 minutes Southwest in Boring. Throwing has been a long-standing passion of the Crouser family. Ryan’s uncle, Brian Crouser, qualified for two Olympic javelin teams. His father, Mitch, was an alternate on the 1984 Olympic discus team.
“Coming from a family that is big into track and field… makes it even more meaningful because they’re able not to just be here and support me, but they can appreciate the amount of hard work and effort that went into it,” Crouser said.
Crouser burst onto the track and field scene in 2009 while he was a sophomore competing for Sam Barlow High School in Gresham. Crouser threw the 3.58-pound discus 202.49 feet This record-breaking throw stood for only one year, as he shattered it again in 2010 with a throw of 23.54 meters.
After a star-studded high school career, he looked to do it all over again at the collegiate level. While Crouser’s family had long been part of the Oregon Duck tree, he decided to take his talents to Austin to compete for the University of Texas starting in 2012.
Crouser’s freshman year was mildly successful, however health problems stunted his 2013 season. He had to deal with infections which caused him to lose weight in addition to a hand injury. He decided to redshirt his indoor sophomore season.
He returned to dominate in the outdoor season, where he won his first NCAA Shotput Championship while throwing for a personal best at the time, 69.71 feet at the 2013 Texas Relay. Crouser continued his reign throughout his college career, winning in 13 different events.
Following a master’s degree in finance, Crouser embarked on his professional career. It didn’t take long for him to adjust to the new stage as he set a new personal best 71.65 feet in shot put during the 2016 Olympic Trials.
Crouser’s greatest achievement came in the 2020 Olympic Trials at Hayward Field where he broke a world record that had stood for 31 years. On June 18, 2021, he threw 22.83 meters, nearly one foot further than the previous record.
Crouser said this was a special moment for him and his family since he’d been going to Hayward since he was a child.
“I hadn’t been home since 2019. It felt really special to be here in front of friends and family,” Crouser said.“It was a great opportunity and they all came together to showcase all the hard work and dedication that I’ve committed.”
Just after breaking the record, Crouser reflected on his effort.
“It’s been a lot of hard work and dedication, but I think the biggest thing to getting the world record was getting out of my way and letting it happen,” Crouser said. “The most difficult thing that I’ve had trouble with is when I know that I can do it and trying to make myself do it.”
Crouser noted he still has work to do to perfect his craft. “I can improve on the meet side of things. I need to get used to relaxing in high energy situations like it was today. It’s been a while since I’ve been on a competition stage with a bunch of fans.”
In addition to being an NCAA Champion and gold medal Olympian, Crouser was named Track and Field News 2021 World Male Athlete of the Year — an illustrious honor for a uniquely talented man.
Crouser currently works with the Arkansas Track and Field team as a volunteer assistant and posts shot put videos on his YouTube channel. He’ll be returning to Hayward Field in mid-July for the World Athletics Championships.
