Ryan Crouser, in his first meet of the season, wins third straight shot put world title

Olympics

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Ryan Crouser waved his throwing arm — the one that’s been ailing for more than a year — up in the air, urging the crowd to make some noise. He was preparing for his fifth attempt in the men’s shot put competition Saturday at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, and he was in the lead. But Italy’s Leonardo Fabbri and New Zealand’s Tom Walsh were threatening, both just 0.05 meters behind with their best throws at that point.

Then Crouser, competing for the first time in more than a year, went into his spin and added another highlight to his resume as the world’s greatest shot putter. The American unleashed a throw of 22.34 meters, the only throw of the night to clear the 22 mark, to win his third consecutive world championship in the event to go along with his three straight Olympic gold medals.

“It was a sigh of relief,” Crouser said of the throw in an interview with NBC Sports’ Lewis Johnson after the race. “A lot of times when I’m throwing, I know exactly how far it’s going. Tonight, I didn’t really have that feeling.”