by Sam Fariss
This is Sam Fariss’s column on Ryan Crouser, and his new UK All comers and Meet record at the London Diamond League meeting on July 23, 2023. Sam will be writing for us during the 2023 World Outdoor Athletics Championships.
London Diamond League: Crouser can’t be calmed
LONDON – Ryan Crouser is now 10 for 10 in his appearances this season. The world-record-holding American threw for a booming 23.07 meters to win Sunday’s London Diamond League meeting (July 23, 2023).
Crouser launched the shot on his penultimate attempt, and fans could tell he was pleased before it landed. Not only did he achieve a meet record as well as his farthest throw ever in Europe, Crouser also earned the farthest throw of all time in the UK.
London Athletics Meet
July 23, 2023, London, England, U.K., photo by Kevin Morris
“Today was a great confidence boost,” Crouser said. “I like where I’m at, and it has me just excited to get back home and get back to training, and that’s the best part.”
As the meet commentator put it, the three wise men comprised Crouser, Tom Walsh, New Zealand, and Joe Kovacs; the United States rounded out the top three of the field. Walsh threw for a season-best 22.58 meters, and Kovacs had a best toss of 21.87 meters.
London Athletics Meet
July 23, 2023, London, England, U.K., photo by Kevin Morris
Walsh held the record for the London stadium leading into Sunday’s competition.
“I was the stadium record holder before this, but records are made to be broken. I’ll take it back next time!” Walsh said.
Crouser shared that he was focusing on a few aspects of his sport besides the distance going into the London meeting.
“I was coming in focusing a little bit more on consistency, and so I knew if I locked into consistency, the bigger distances would come,” Crouser said. “I wasn’t necessarily super surprised by it but very pleased, and even more so than the 23.07 was the consistency across the rounds.”
Walsh, the 2017 world champion, appeared to stick around to watch the rest of the meet, sharing a video of the men’s 400-meter competition on social media.
London Athletics Meet
July 23, 2023, London, England, U.K., photo by Kevin Morris
“I’m starting to really find my timing with my throws now, and I’m pretty happy with the performance,” Walsh said. “I love competing in the London Stadium; the crowd has always been amazing here since I was 16 or 17; the fans are awesome!”
The three Wise men seemed to cheer each other on as the competition unfolded and celebrated each others’ success throughout.
Crouser and Kovacs were joined by their compatriot Payton Otterdahl in the top four finishers with his throw of 21.74 meters. All three Americans seemed rather pleased with their performances on Sunday.
“Anytime you can walk away from a meet and say there’s a lot more there, I want to get home, I want to train,” Crouser said. “It’s a great indicator, and it has me excited for world champs.”
The Budapest World Athletics Championships are set for August 19th through 27th. The Diamond League Championships will be held in Eugene, Oregon, on September 16th and 17th.
