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KANSAN.COM
SPORTS
Olympian wins Downtown Shot Put event
MATT HOFFMAN
@MattHoffmanUDK
The PA droned on as 2016 Olympic gold medalist in shot put Ryan Crouser waltzed to the ring for his sixth and final attempt. He'd already secured first place and the $4,000 prize, but the former Texas athlete was in Lawrence for his first event on American soil post-Olympics for another reason.
To put on a show.
"Usually track and field takes a back seat, so to come here and feel like a rockstar is pretty cool," Crouser said.
2016 Olympic gold medalist Ryan Crouser throws in his fifth attempt. Crouser won the Downtown Shot Put, surpassing the previous record with a distance of 72-foot-6.5.
*Andrew Rosenthal/KANSAN*
I'm in great shape right now, so I'm ahead of my schedule and I was pretty confident I could throw a 72-foot throw."
Ryan Crouser
2016 Olympic gold medalist
As Crouser took to the ring, the crowd rose to its
feet. He pinned the shot to his neck then twirled like a top, attempting to balance his power and coordination. The shot traveled over 72 feet on the corner of Massachusetts Street and Eighth Street, a new downtown shot put record.
"I'm in great shape right now, so I'm ahead of my schedule and I was pretty confident I could throw a 72-foot throw." Crouser said.
His best throw was officially 72 feet, 6.5 inches.
"When you get a great venue in the United States, it's rare because it's such a European-dominated sport, so there's only a couple of meets on American soil that get this much energy," he said.
Crouser said the decision to attend the seventh-straight iteration of the downtown shot put as his first United States event post-the Rio Olympics was easy.
blared through downtown Lawrence. For one night, shot put ruled Lawrence.
One bystander remarked the meet was unlike he had ever seen before. High school and college athletes mingled with families and bar crawlers. Free t-shirts were thrown. Food from vendors was being sold. The music
Crouser said he will be back next year to defend his title, hopefully under better weather conditions. He said the light rain was a concern at times.
"I tend to be a little bit more on balance and not having to rush quite so much... just try not to do anything too crazy," he said of the cold weather. "It's a little bit more of a warmer weather sport because you want to be loose and you want to be
relaxed."
The meet also featured current Jayhawk thrower Nicolai Ceban, who was competing as an amateur and therefore ineligible for the cash prize.
Crouser doesn't have that problem. He has to find
"It's my first big check," he said. "I might end up like 'Happy Gilmore' with a few of them stuck in my back seat trying to cash them."
something to do with the large novelty check.
STIGLER FROM PAGE 8
Stigler dominated the field with a statement performance. No one was even close to catching him. Stigler's time of 49.38 was good enough to be among the top-10 fastest times worldwide this year. The second-place
finisher, Quinton Harley, clocked in at 52.65, a full three seconds slower than Stigler. Wilson placed fifth.
As Stigler crossed the finish line, he couldn't control his emotions. He looked at the scoreboard, saw his time and yelled "I'm back, baby," to the Jayhawk-filled stands
around him. He waved his arms, pumping up the crowd.
Stigler said running at Rock Chalk Park is a feeling he can't explain. He equates it to running at nationals, NCAAs or the USA Championships. This facility and this place mean that much to him.
"Lawrence is pretty much my home," Stigler said. "I love it here. I'd love to stay here the rest of my life if I could. It's great. The fans love me, I love the fans. It's great."
The fans do love Stigler. Immediately after his race was over, several fans
dressed in crimson and blue shouted congratulations his way. And one young Kansas fan came up to the fence and asked for his autograph.
Stigler gave the fan more than just one autographed item. He signed the kid's sweatshirt, as well as the meet program and Stigler's
own bib number
When he went to sign the meet program, Stigler asked the child where he wanted him to sign. The kid said he didn't care. Stigler smiled.
"I'mma sign page 47," Stigler said. "That's my goal time."
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