Make it two Olympic gold medals in a row for Ryan Crouser, the former Texas Longhorn who now calls Arkansas home. Crouser broken his own Olympic record late Wednesday night on his way to defending his shot put title at Tokyo's Olympic Stadium.
Crouser won his second consecutive Olympic gold medal in the shot put, throwing 76 feet, 5 1/2 inches on his last attempt. It was the first track and field gold for the American men at the Tokyo Games. U.S. teammate Joe Kovacs finished second and Tomas Walsh of New Zealand was third.
Additionally, Crouser became the first American to win back-to-back Olympic golds in the shot put since Parry O'Brien did it in 1952 and 1956.
It was the second-best mark of all-time surpassed only by the world record set earlier this summer by Crouser -- who lives and trains in Fayetteville and is a volunteer assistant coach at the University of Arkansas.
Crouser, 28, set the world outdoor record at the U.S. Olympic Trials in June when he threw 76-8 1/2 in Eugene, Ore. He broke a mark previously held by Randy Barnes, who threw 75-10 1/4 in 1990.
In the heat at Olympic Stadium, Crouser took the lead on his first attempt and saved his best for his final one.
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Crouser's winning mark also broke his own Olympic record of 73-10 3/4 he threw in 2016 in winning the gold medal in Rio de Janiero.
In December of 2019, Crouser moved from San Diego to Fayetteville to train, and he became a volunteer coach for the Razorbacks as well.
The reason for Crouser's move was Mario Sategna -- his coach at Texas -- being hired as an Arkansas assistant coach.
Sategna resigned at Arkansas in May after the SEC Outdoor Track and Field Championships, but Crouser is still listed as a staff member on the UA website.
Crouser began 2021 with a bang on Jan. 24 by breaking the world indoor record in his first meet of the year when he had a throw of 74-10 1/2 at an American Track League competition held at Arkansas' renovated Randal Tyson Center. He broke the record of 74-4 1/2 set by Barnes in 1989.
"It's a pretty good start to 2021," Crouser said at the time in an interview with ESPN. "I feel like there is more there."
"I was celebrating on that one almost before it left my hand," Crouser said then.
Crouser, a native of Oregon, was a four-time NCAA champion at Texas -- winning indoors in 2014 and 2016 indoors and outdoors in 2013 and 2014. He is a five-time U.S. champion.
During Thursday's qualifying round, Crouser advanced to the final by throwing 72-4 1/2. It was the top mark ever in an Olympic qualifying round, surpassing his mark of 70-10 in 2016.
Bob Holt of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette contributed to this article.
