INDIANAPOLIS -- A massive shot put at the USATF Throws Festival earned Ryan Crouser (Fayetteville, Arkansas) recognition as the 19th USATF Athlete of the Week award winner for 2021. It is his second award this year. Crouser, the reigning Olympic champion, blasted the farthest throw in the world since 1990 in the fifth round at Tucson, with the 16-pound ball landing at 23.01m/75-6. His throw made him the second-best performer in U.S. history behind world record holder Randy Barnes, and the third best globally behind Barnes and East Germany’s Ulf Timmerman. It was the fourth-best performance ever. History’s shot putter most consistently at 22m or better, Crouser now has 127 such performances to his credit. He also hit 22.86m/75-0 on his final toss to become the first man ever to hit 75-feet or better twice in a series. The average of the top 10 throws in his career is 22.81m/74-10, a distance only he and six other men have ever achieved even once. More top performances from the past week:
Now in its 20th year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week when there are high-level competitions and features the athlete on USATF.org. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week. 2021 Winners: January 21, KC Lightfoot; January 28, Ryan Crouser; February 4, Bryce Hoppel; February 11, Athing Mu; February 18, Elle Purrier; February 25, Jaylen Slade; March 4, Grant Holloway; March 11, Emmanuel Bor; March 18, Tara Davis; March 25, Emily Sisson; April 1, Tara Davis; April 8, Kenny Selmon; April 15, DeAnna Price; April 22, Athing Mu; April 29, Rudy Winkler; May 6, Trayvon Bromell; May 13, Sha’Carri Richardson; May 20, Athing Mu; May 27, Ryan Crouser. We welcome your nominations! To nominate an athlete for USATF Athlete of the Week, please send a detailed email about his/her performance to communications@usatf.org. Fans can follow along with #USATF on Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook.