Ryan Crouser threw 22.86 meters Sunday night at Hayward Field to claim his fifth national title in the men’s shot put at the 2023 Toyota USATF Outdoor National Championships. Photo. by Logan Hannigan-Downs

By Israel La Rue

The world record holder, two-time Olympic champion and defending world champion in the men’s shot put, Ryan Crouser, threw 22.86 meters Sunday night at Hayward Field at the 2023 Toyota USATF Outdoor National Championships.

Crouser’s last throw was his farthest – 75 feet, in U.S. measurements – but it wasn’t as technically sound as he would’ve liked.

“It was a little bit funny how poorly technical that throw was to go 75 feet,” Crouser said. “It definitely was my worst technical throw to go 75, so I guess that’s good.”

This is Crouser’s fifth overall national title and third in a row.

“It’s an honor,” he said. “I mean, the US is so deep in the shot put, it’s one of the toughest events to make the team in. So to be able to win my third straight is something that I’m very proud of.”

Runner-up Josh Awotunde, bronze medalist in last year’s world championships, threw a season best of 22.10m. Third-place finisher Payton Otterdahl, the 2019 NCAA indoor champion and Tokyo Olympian, threw a personal best of 22.09m.

From left to right: Josh Awotunde, Ryan Crouser, and Payton Otterdahl. Photo by Howard Lao

“It was great to see Tunde bounce back after an elbow injury and Payton his first meet over 22,” Crouser said. “With how hard everyone in this sport works, it’s awesome to see those guys having success.”

Awotunde said he has been dealing with an elbow injury since January, and it kept him from competing during all of the indoor and most of the outdoor season. He said he had overworked his elbow during rehab and had to seek further medical opinion.

“I went up to Chula Vista, talked to some doctors up there,” Awotunde said. “They said my tendon is attached, but they can see a lot of blood in my tendon. So I had to really slow down … and honestly, I just found a way to manage it.”

Awotunde said the pain in his elbow during the competition felt like a two compared to the eight he was feeling in January.

Crouser hasn’t thrown over 23m since May, when he set the world record of 23.56 at the LA Grand Prix, breaking his previous world record of 23.37 from the 2021 Olympic Trials.

On Sunday, Crouser’s first throw of 22.82m gave him an early lead, but he fouled on his following two attempts. He then talked to his coach before his fourth throw.

His next two throws were good, 22.38m and 22.02m, but he wasn’t happy with either of them.

“The middle rounds were a little bit rough,” Crouser said. “Just not executing technically.”

Awotunde secured his second-place finish after Otterdahl fouled on his last attempt. Crouser spoke to Awotunde before his final throw.

Crouser said he was talking to Awotunde about his elbow felt. “We were just giving him a hard time, saying that he’s been faking it the whole season,” he said.

Crouser now shifts his sight to defend his world title in Budapest this August.

“The biggest goal is to win,” Crouser said. “Anytime you’re in a major championship, you’re always trying to win a gold medal. So winning is number one, but for me throwing a PR would be great. So I would want to win and throw a PR.”

Crouser added, “That’s the fun thing about being a world record holder – if you throw a PR, it’s a world record.”