By Kylee O’Connor
Shot putter Ryan Crouser is used to competing at Hayward Field, so the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials was not uncharted territory for him. The 23-year-old went to Barlow High School in Gresham, Oregon, and has a lengthy family history of success in track and field.
After winning numerous Oregon 6A State titles in both the shot put and discus and graduating from Barlow, it was time for Crouser to make a college decision. Instead of taking the obvious path of following many of his family members to Oregon, he committed to the University of Texas.
Crouser, who recently graduated from Texas, won the men’s shot put with a throw of 72 feet, 6 1/2 inches on Friday, ahead of 2015 world champion Joe Kovacs, who threw 70 feet, 1/4 inch. Penn State’s Darrell Hill, the 2015 NCAA runner-up, placed third with a throw of 70 feet, 11 3/4 inches.
“I did go to Texas, but I think most of Hayward has forgiven me for that,” Crouser said. “Growing up here and throwing here, there’s always something special about this place and the whole family—almost—was able to make it down here. So to be able to do that, I mean I can’t even describe it.”
Crouser is the second Olympian in his family. His uncle, Brian, competed in the 1988 and 1992 Olympics as a javelin thrower. Another Crouser could join Ryan in the Olympics—his cousin Sam already has the auto-qualifying mark in the javelin, so he is a favorite to make the Olympic team, as well. Sam’s sister, Haley, will also compete on Thursday in the javelin.
The night before the trials, Crouser’s Olympian uncle had advice for him.
“It was right around bedtime, about 9 o’clock, and he just said that he remembers his night before the trials like it was yesterday,” Crouser said. “He said he was climbing up the walls and he couldn’t sleep—and I’ve definitely felt similar to that. It was tough to fall asleep last night, and he just said go out there and compete, and that’s all you really can do in situations like there was today. Just great competition and do your best, you can walk away happy.”
Hill was leading with a throw of 68-8 after the first round of the final. Crouser took the lead with his second and ultimately winning throw of 72-6 1/2 inches. Hill had his best throw on his second attempt of finals and he continued in second place until his training partner and fellow Penn State alum, Kovacs, jumped from third to second with a throw of 72 feet, 1/4 inch on his final attempt.
Now, as Crouser heads to Rio with Kovacs and Hill, he looks to become the first Crouser to medal at the Olympics—a feat that no one in his family has accomplished just yet. The Crouser-Kovacs-Hill trio would have placed first, second and fifth with their marks from the trials at the 2012 London Olympic Games.
When asked about the potential for a U.S. sweep at the Olympics, Kovacs said, “Let’s do it.”
His teammates agreed.
“I think for all three of us, there’s more in the tank,” Crouser said. “All of us could be well over 22 come Rio. … We’ve got three great competitors here and I think we’re a team that the rest of the world is going to be watching.”
Added Hill, “All three of us are looking at winning, so, I mean, anything’s possible when you have that mindset.”
