Last winter, his world record was not recognised, as the competition in which he achieved it did not meet World Athletics standards. The shot putter Ryan Crouser, however, continues to amaze. Just recently, the American achieved a distance of 23.56, another all-time best! On 15 July 2023 he is scheduled to star in the Diamond League meeting in the Silesian Stadium – the Slesia Kamila Skolimowska Memorial.
It was a question of time before Ryan Crouser's name would stop being associated with bad luck. The distance of 23.38 was an unlucky number for the shot put specialist. The historic result, which he was twice credited with, was rejected as a world record each time. First, although the announcer called out the distance at the 2022 Millrose Games, it turned out the officials mismeasured the attempt. Indeed, the put was shorter than that. Was it a disappointment? Possibly so, but then what could one say of what happened last winter? This time, Crouser indeed reached the distance, yet he chose to compete in another meeting while the US national championships were going on. A few weeks later, it was announced the meeting did not meet World Athletics requirements.
Crouser sets a world record! He is due to compete in the Silesia Kamila Skolimowska Memorial in July
- It is extraordinary that a legend like him, an athlete who has done it all, still has so much to prove – was a recent comment from Piotr Małachowski, sports director of the Polish Diamond League meeting, the Silesia Kamila Skolimowska Memorial. He has now officially announced the Olympic champion from Rio and Tokio will compete in the Silesian Stadium on 16 July!
The timing of the announcement is no coincidence. Crouser has finally done it. On Saturday in Los Angeles, he surpassed himself. His mark of 23.56 is the first put ever over 23.5 metres.
The put was so long it nearly went out of the landing area and hit the wall at its perimeter!
- His career is a joy to follow. We have a clean world record at last. Someone has finally demonstrated it is possible to achieve the impossible without doping, matching the disgraced Randy Barnes's marks. It took three decades. But it is a good thing the wait is over – stated Tomasz Majewski, the 2008 and 2012 Olympic champion,.
- That is why announcing stars such as Ryan Crouser is always exciting. We made a promise this year to organise the best athletics competition of all time in Polish history on 16 July. Apart from Armand Duplantis, he is the other world record holder on the entry list of this year's meeting – Małachowski said.
Ryan Crouser's mark is exceptional, according to his rivals
The former discus thrower stated Crouser's career was an athletics milestone. He compared the manner in which the 31-year old has broken new grounds to the Fosbury flop. There is a good reason why the American has become an Olympic icon and world champion, as well as the author of the longest put ever. Whenever he takes to the circle, his rivals' eyes are focused on him. And when he starts his attempts, they see that even though he appears to perform the spin like everyone else, everything about the way he does it is different. Ryan himself repeatedly admitted to analysing his attempts on video recording. When he is out of sight, he keeps on testing new ways to revolutionise the technique of his event.
- The speed, the way works with his legs and feet in the circle, as well as explosiveness and lightness. He does everything better. He is a superman – those are the compliments coming from his rival Konrad Bukowiecki, who is due to face him in the competition. The Polish ace admits - every opportunity to do so is a special experience for me.
Ryan Crouser to come back to the Silesian Stadium, while the Skolimowska Memorial record already belongs to him
It is a repeat visit to Poland's prime athletics meeting for the star of the 14th Kamila Skolimowska Memorial. In 2020, he set the current meeting record with 22.70.
The mark, great as it is, no longer looks as impressive. Crouser is capable of much more. Suffice to say he now holds the top three marks of all time. Of the top 30 best marks ever, 17 belong to him. His dominance is comparable with what Anita Włodarczyk has done over the last decade in the hammer throw. There is another thing the statisticians get excited about. The giant from Oregon has now reached over 200 official puts in excess of 22 metres. For comparison, Michał Haratyk's Polish national record stands at 22.32. It was an outstanding mark as well. Crouser, however, has taken the event to a whole new level, unachievable for everyone else.
Polish Diamond League – tickets to Silesia Kamila Skolimowska Memorial are available for sale
Ticket sales to the Polish stop on the Diamond League circuit are under way. The tickets are available on eBilet.pl. The organisers had earlier announced several of the stars of this year's edition. Apart from Crouser and Duplantis, the list includes Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Tobi Amusan, Jasmine Camacho-Quin, Mutaz Essa Barshim and Gianmarco Tamberi. The list is bound to become significantly longer and will include the top Polish athletes in many events.
The news of the preparations for the Silesia Diamond League can be followed on the meeting's official website, MemorialKamili.pl., as well as the social media: Instagram,TikTok, Facebook and Twitter.
