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Ryan Crouser was not a heavy favorite heading into Paris after his season was curtailed by injuries but he once again oozed class in the French capital to settle for gold.
A glance at the bare global championship results this year would suggest that world record-holder Ryan Crouser dominated as he has for most of the past decade, but looks can be deceptive.
Elbow and back injuries made this a challenging year for Crouser, but he showed his championship qualities by claiming both of the global titles on offer, bringing his career tally to six.
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10:56 - 26.12.2024
'Still clocked in' - Sha'Carri Richardson and Christian Coleman gear up with intense gym sessions ahead of the 2025 season
World champion Sha'Carri Richardson is hard at work as she seeks redemption after losing to Julien Alfred. The Saint Lucian beat favorite Richardson to win the 100m title in Paris Olympics.
Everything seemed in order when he won his first world indoor crown in Glasgow in March with a championship record of 22.77m, but his season veered dramatically off-track afterwards as he battled injury.
However, he rediscovered his form when it counted in the Olympic final in Paris, where any of his best three throws would have won the gold medal. He completed a historic treble of Olympic shot put titles (2016, 2020, 2024) and had the luxury of passing on his final throw after rain disrupted the last round of the final.
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18:03 - 26.12.2024
Why 2024 turned British sprinter Matt Hudson Smith into a global force as the newly signed Grand Slam athlete eyes LA Olympics glory
Hudson Smith improved his time every moment he was on track this year. Adjustment has been rapid and his 2024 deserves a pat on the back.
The 31-year-old has been the golden man on the podium at the last three Olympic Games. But of all his performances, Paris 2024 was harder than expected. “This one for me personally is up near the top,” he admitted, looking back at his Olympics career according to Olympics.com.
“Rio, I was fresh out of college, first year professional, and I felt like… not that I didn't appreciate it, but I stumbled my way into it. And Tokyo was just stressful. It felt like a pressure cooker. I was coming off a world record. It felt like that Olympics was mine to lose.
“Paris, just overcoming the adversity, not coming in as a super heavy favourite, having the third-farthest throw in the world (this season) and feel personally like I was expecting myself to win. Just overcoming injuries. It's definitely the one that I appreciate the most,” he added.
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