Paris Olympics: USA's Ryan Crouser wins record third consecutive shot put gold

Paris, France - World record-holder Ryan Crouser won an unprecedented third consecutive Olympic title in the men's shot put in Paris on Saturday.

Gold medallist US' Ryan Crouser celebrates after the men's shot put final of the athletics event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on Saturday.
Gold medallist US' Ryan Crouser celebrates after the men's shot put final of the athletics event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on Saturday.  © BEN STANSALL / AFP

Crouser, who had previously won at the 2016 Rio Games and in Tokyo in 2021, managed a season's best of 22.90 meters with his third effort for victory at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis to the north of Paris.

Crouser's fellow US teammate Joe Kovacs snatched silver with his sixth and last attempt of 22.15m.

Jamaican athlete Rajindra Campbell ended up taking home bronze.

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Other athletes to have won two consecutive shot put golds are the American pair of Ralph Rose (1904, 1908), Parry O'Brien (1952, 1956), and Poland's Tomasz Majewski (2008, 2012).

It is the 20th time that an American has won the event in 30 Olympics.

Crouser's victory is all the more remarkable for fans given his long journey to recovery after several heartbreaking injuries he sustained this season ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

The American won the world indoor title in Glasgow in March, but since then the athlete has suffered two debilitating elbow injuries on either side of tearing a pectoral muscle.

Cover photo: BEN STANSALL / AFP

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