Team USA gold medalist Ryan Crouser shows off simple trick that explains why he won shot put gold at 2024 Olympics
Ryan Crouser is the first athlete in Olympic history to win the shot put three times in a row.
Dominance in Rio, Tokyo and Paris has given Crouser a clear advantage.
Crouser showed off his hands on the TODAY program to show how much bigger his right hand is than his left.
Crouser’s right hand is his moneymaker, because with it he throws the ball into the field.
The former Texas pitcher also showed off his finger strength, with his hand not bending any further than straight up.
Ryan Crouser won his third consecutive Olympic gold medal in the shot put at the Paris Games
Crouser is 6 feet 7 inches tall and weighs 300 pounds, making his right hand enormous compared to most people’s.
“He just takes a beating,” Crouser said of his hand. “Pressure on the fingertips. He just doesn’t move. So 16 pounds going almost 40 miles an hour off the fingertips, you get strong fingertips.”
Crouser is only 31, meaning another Olympic Games and a possible fourth participation are not out of the question.
“That would be the dream as an Olympian to retire at the Olympics on home soil,” Crouser said. “For me, it would be the fourth time. That would be a dream come true, so I’m trying to hang in there until then.”
At age 35, Crouser would compete in the Los Angeles Games, twelve years after his first Olympic gold medal.
The way his hands develop after four years of extra training could be enough to improve his Olympic shot put record.