Ryan Crouser set an Olympic record in the shot put. Then he did so again and again.
Crouser won his second straight Olympic gold medal in shot put on Thursday.
Ryan Crouser, the 2016 Olympic gold medalist in the shot put, gave track and field fans a glimpse in June of what to expect at the Tokyo Games.
On his fourth throw of the evening during the U.S. Olympic trials, he shattered the world record with a 23.37-meter throw.
So when he stepped onto the field in Tokyo on Thursday, Crouser had high hopes.
His first throw set a new Olympic record, beating his previous record set at the Rio Games.
On his next throw, he set another Olympic record.
Then he did it again and again. All told, Crouser set new Olympic records in three attempts. He also fell just short of his own world record, throwing 23.30 meters.
Joe Kovacs of the United States won silver, and Tom Walsh of New Zealand finished with bronze. Crouser, Kovacs, and Walsh all won the same medals at the 2016 Olympics.
Crouser had one thing to say when he finished. He looked at the camera and held up a sign: “Grandpa, we did it, 2020 Olympic champion!”
After winning his second consecutive gold in the shot put, Ryan Crouser had a message for his grandpa 🙏
Crouser bested his previous Olympic record FIVE TIMES in the finals. pic.twitter.com/gkKVt2wZv1
— ESPN (@espn) August 5, 2021
In the triple jump, Hugues Fabrice Zango won the bronze, bringing home Burkina Faso’s first Olympic medal ever.
And on the track, Hansle Parchment of Jamaica upset Grant Holloway of the United States in the 110-meter hurdles. Holloway, the reigning world champion in the event, set a world indoor record in the 60-meter hurdles and nearly set a world record at the U.S. Olympic trials in June.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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