Shot put mark falls to Crouser

Ryan Crouser throws during the Blue Oval Showcase shot put, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020, at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Ryan Crouser throws during the Blue Oval Showcase shot put, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020, at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

FAYETTEVILLE -- It took one throw into the indoor track and field season for Ryan Crouser to break a world record set before he was born.

Crouser, in his second year as a volunteer assistant coach for the University of Arkansas men's team, opened the season Sunday at the Razorbacks' Randal Tyson Center with a toss of 74 feet, 101/2 inches in the shot put to set an indoor world record.

Competing in the first of four American Track League professional meets to be held at Arkansas, Crouser, 28, broke a 32-year-old world record of 74-4 1/4 set by Randy Barnes on Jan. 20, 1989, at the Sunkist Invitational in Los Angeles.

"I'm so happy with today, opening my 2021 season with an indoor world record," Crouser said in an interview posted on Arkansas' track and field Twitter account. "Just a fantastic feeling and a really great start to the year.

"I'm excited to see where I can go as I start to back off in my training and start to taper down and get ready for the next three meets here."

Crouser, the 2016 Olympian shot put champion and five-time USA indoor and outdoor champion, had another toss (74-5 3/4) Sunday that also was better than Barnes' previous world record.

"I've been working on that world record for a long time now, and so to finally get it, it felt like a big weight came off my chest," said Crouser, who for safety reasons wore a mask during his interview, as well as a big cowboy hat. "I'm super happy just to get that out of the way."

Crouser said setting the indoor world record is "a great steppingstone" toward his goal of breaking the outdoor world record of 75-10, which also is held by Barnes.

"So we're going to keep working towards that," Crouser said. "But this was one I kind of had to knock out on the way to get that."

Crouser, a four-time NCAA shot put champion indoors and outdoors at Texas, moved to Fayetteville in December of 2019 to train with Arkansas assistant coach Mario Sategna, who was his coach with the Longhorns.

"I love sleeping in my own bed and waking up and coming out and throwing here at our home track," Crouser said of Arkansas hosting the series of professional meets. "That was an awesome feeling.

"I had a big breakfast this morning, a couple of cups of coffee, and then rolled up 10 minutes from the house and got a chance to throw. That's so much better than having to fly to Europe and sleeping in a hotel for weeks on end.

"It's great for performances, because you're at home and you can relax and just stay in your routine."

Grant Holloway, an NCAA champion at Florida, equaled his own American record Sunday by winning the 60-meter hurdles in 7.35. He matched the record time he ran in winning his third NCAA title in 2019 in Birmingham, Ala.

Former Arkansas three-time NCAA hurdles champion Omar McLeod, the 2016 Olympic champion in the 110-meter hurdles for Jamaica, ran the 60 meters on Sunday in 6.70 to take sixth.

Taliyah Brooks, the 2018 NCAA pentathlon champion for Arkansas, ran 8.10 to take fourth in the 60 hurdles and high jumped 5-11 1/2 for another fourth-place finish.

Megan Clark, a former Duke All-American who trains in Fayetteville, cleared 14-9 to win the pole vault.

Two former Razorbacks -- Travean Caldwell and Nicholas Hilson -- were third and sixth, respectively, in the 400.

Caldwell ran a personal-best 46.25 and Hilson ran 47.47.

Fred Kerley, an NCAA champion at Texas A&M and USA champion, won the 400 in 45.03.

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