American Ryan Crouser, who grew up in Boring, is a two-time gold medalist and world record holder. Crouser set a new record distance in the shot put Thursday and took home his second gold at the Tokyo Games.
Crouser took home the gold with a huge 23.30-meter throw (76.44 feet) on his final attempt — dedicating the victory to his late grandfather, Larry Crouser, who died a week before the opening ceremony.
An emotional Crouser had a piece of paper with him and held it up to the cameras: “Grandpa, WE DID IT, 2020 Olympic Champion!” written in Sharpie.
ESPN on Twitter: “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 / Twitter”
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
Crouser later explained the full significance of the message: His grandfather had lost his hearing before his death, and letters were how the two would communicate. The world-class athlete first attempted the shot put in Larry Crouser’s backyard.
“To lose him the week before the Olympics was obviously sad,” he told reporters. “But I feel like he was able to be here in spirit.”
Crouser was the first American male to win gold at a track and field event this summer.
Nathan Howard on Twitter: “Cousin Haley Crouser, left, grandmother Marie Crouser, center, and brother Matt Crouser react with other friends and family as Ryan Crouser sets an Olympic record to win the shot-put gold medal in Tokyo. For @Ap pic.twitter.com/c1BvZaHMnE / Twitter”
Cousin Haley Crouser, left, grandmother Marie Crouser, center, and brother Matt Crouser react with other friends and family as Ryan Crouser sets an Olympic record to win the shot-put gold medal in Tokyo. For @Ap pic.twitter.com/c1BvZaHMnE
“The same time that you’re cheering the most fantastic thing, there’s just that little bit of, ‘I wish grandpa was here,’” Ryan’s mother, Lisa, said while celebrating back in Oregon. “You know he’s watching.”
Crouser’s teammate Joe Kovacs finished with the silver medal. Tom Walsh, of New Zealand, took home the bronze. Crouser won the gold medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Ironically, Kovacs and Walsh had also been the runners-up in those Games.
Crouser was born in Portland in December 1992 and raised in Boring.
#TokyoOlympics on Twitter: “Ryan Crouser is now officially a TWO-TIME OLYMPIC CHAMPION.@TeamUSA x #TokyoOlympics📺 NBC💻 https://t.co/prLiNjuJnV📱 NBC Sports App pic.twitter.com/ltSpxg8BSk / Twitter”
Ryan Crouser is now officially a TWO-TIME OLYMPIC CHAMPION.@TeamUSA x #TokyoOlympics📺 NBC💻 https://t.co/prLiNjuJnV📱 NBC Sports App pic.twitter.com/ltSpxg8BSk
He comes from a long line of elite throwers: His father, Mitch Crouser, was an alternate on the 1984 Olympic discus team, his uncle Brian Crouser qualified for two Olympic teams in the javelin, his other uncle Dean Crouser was a good shot putter and discus thrower, and his cousins Sam and Haley are both javelin throwers.
He took up track and field in fifth grade, but was initially not as good as his cousin Sam; he made his breakthrough in eighth and ninth grade.
In 2009, his sophomore year at Sam Barlow High School in Gresham, Crouser set a national sophomore record with the 3.58 lb (1.62 kg) high school discus, throwing 202 ft 6 in (61.72 m); the mark was also the Oregon high school state record until Sam Crouser broke it the following year.
In 2020, he was named a finalist for Male Track and Field World Athlete of the Year by World Athletics, the international governing body for track and field.
