Gold medal distances in the shot put at the Summer Olympics 1896-2020

The shot put has been an Olympic event for men since the inaugural games in 1896, and the women's event has featured in all Olympic Games since 1948. Although the sport is seen by many as an iconic Olympic event, there is no record of it ever featuring in the Ancient Games. The earliest records of competitive stone throwing trace back to the Scottish Highlands, in competitions that gradually evolved into the Highland Games; a tournament that greatly influenced Pierre de Coubertin when he was reviving the modern Olympics in 1896. The modern event involves competitors resting a ball (weighing 7.26 kilograms for men and 4 kilograms for women) against their neck, and then creating as much momentum with their body as they can in order to throw the ball as far as possible.

Glide vs Spin

The two most common throwing styles are the glide technique (popularized by the 1952 and 1956 gold medalist Parry O'Brien) and spin technique (popularized by the 1976 bronze and 1980 silver medalist Aleksandr Baryshnikov). The glide technique sees the thrower build up momentum through their body by shifting in a straight line towards the field, then turning 180 degrees and thrusting upwards as they release the ball. In contrast, the spin technique is more similar to a discus throw, where the thrower builds momentum by spinning their body (usually one and a half times) before releasing the weight. Men generally favor the spin technique, while women almost exclusively use the glide method at the top level.

Records

The Olympic record for men was set by the U.S.' Ryan Crouser in 2020, with his winning throw of 23.3 meters, while the women's record was set by East Germany's Ilona Slupianek in 1980, with a throw of 22.41 meters. The world records for the shot put were set by Ryan Crouser in 2016, with a throw of 23.37 meters for the men's record, while the Soviet Union's Natalya Lisovskaya set the women's record of of 22.63 meters in 1987. Coincidentally, the women's winning throws in the 1996, 2000 and 2008 Olympics were all exactly 20.56 meters. The U.S. has enjoyed the most success in the shot put at the Olympics, winning 17 golds in the men's event, while the Soviet Union took 6 golds in the women's. Four men have won back-to-back gold medals, with the most recent being Ryan Crouser. The two women with back-to-back golds were the Soviet Union's Tamara Press in 1960 and 1964, and New Zealand's Valerie Adams in 2008 and 2016. Adams is the most successful athlete in either event, with four total medals.