Men’s Shot Put – The Greatest of All Time? – Conclusion

by Rob Leachman

This Series

• Introduction
• Part I – Randy Matson
• Part II – Parry O’Brien
• Part III – Ryan Crouser
• Conclusion

---

So, who is the greatest men’s shot putter of all time?

As a recap, this series was completed as an attempt to objectively determine if, as many assume, Ryan Crouser is in fact the GOAT in this track and field event. To complete this process, a set of criteria was identified that was applied to the greats of the event. Those six criteria were:

1. Olympic Success
2. World Championship Success
3. Level of performance compared to contemporary rivals
4. Longevity
5. Impact on the event; and
6. No evidence of the use of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) impacting their highest levels of achievement and performance.

Those criteria were then applied to men’s shot putters with the greatest competitive records, athletes such as Ralph Rose, Dallas Long, Alessandro Andrei, Ulf Timmermann, Adam Nelson, Tomasz Majewski, Joe Kovacs, and others. Based on this criteria-based analysis, it was determined that the three greatest men’s shot putters in history were Parry O’Brien, Randy Matson, and Ryan Crouser.

---

After providing a biography of each athlete, the criteria were applied to evaluate the career of each of these shot put legends. In this conclusion, the author will provide a criteria-based comparison of each athlete and decide which shot putter he believes, based on this systematic analysis, is the greatest men’s shot putter of all time.

It must be stressed that the athletic careers of Randy Matson and the late Parry O’Brien have obviously been completed, allowing for a final evaluation of their competitive records. Ryan Crouser, however, is in the middle of his career and has indicated he plans to compete through one and possibly two more Olympic cycles. Clearly, as remarkable as it already is, it is likely his competitive record will only get more impressive. There is an inherent unfairness in evaluating a career before it has been completed, but many had already anointed the world record holder as the “greatest” based on the competitive record he had already compiled.

Additionally, it is important to stress that, where relevant, each athlete is compared to contemporary standards and rivals of the era in which he competed. As an example, Ryan Crouser is the world record holder as of this writing, the first to exceed 76 feet. But the notion that the person who has thrown the farthest should automatically be considered the greatest of all time is rejected by this author. Though the circumstances were certainly different, Crouser reaching 76 feet is no more or less impressive than when Parry O’Brien first surpassed 60 feet or when Randy Matson reached 70. Each was a stunning accomplishment based on contemporary standards and when compared to rivals of that era. For purposes of this analysis, that Ryan Crouser’s record throw is longer than Matson’s, whose best throws were far longer than O’Brien’s, is considered largely irrelevant. A span of 69 years exists between Parry O’Brien’s first Olympic competition and Ryan Crouser’s most recent one, and the event (and sport) advanced significantly during that time.

---

The “Criteria-Based Comparison of the Top Three Men’s Shot Putters of All Time” is as follows:

Olympic Success

An Olympic gold medal is considered the ultimate achievement for any track and field athlete, typically signifying that a competitor is the greatest in his or her event at that moment in time. With this consummate competition occurring every four years (other than three wartime cancellations and a pandemic delay), it would be illogical for the greatest shot putter of all time to not have experienced considerable Olympic success.

As a teenager in Tokyo in 1964, Randy Matson nearly won the gold medal before finishing second to Dallas Long. Four years later, after a stellar career at Texas A&M, he won the gold medal as expected at Mexico City. At the US Olympic Trials in 1972, Matson struggled and finished a disappointing fourth. He then joined the professional International Track Association, and with that his amateur, and Olympic, career ended.

As of this writing, Ryan Crouser has competed in two Olympic Games, first winning the gold medal in an upset in Rio in 2016. Then, four years later and just a few weeks after breaking a world record that had stood for over three decades, he won his second gold medal in Tokyo. Should he remain healthy and active in the sport, Crouser will likely be a medal favorite at the 2024 Olympics in Paris (and possibly the 2028 Games in Los Angeles). Those future Olympic accomplishments, however, have yet to be attained, and as such are irrelevant to this comparison.

Parry O’Brien has an Olympic record that is simply unmatched in the modern era. He won the gold medal in Helsinki in 1952, repeated as champion in Melbourne in 1956, settled for silver in Rome in 1960 after leading much of the competition, and then finished fourth in Tokyo in 1964. Relatively few track and field athletes have participated in the same individual event in four Olympics, much less seriously competing for medals in each of them.

---

World Championship Success

Since the outdoor World Championships were first held in 1983, among the trio of great shot putters being compared here, only Ryan Crouser has competed in that biannual event. He performed poorly in 2017 and finished sixth, then threw a personal best in 2019 but finished second to Joe Kovacs in the “greatest shot put competition in history.” In 2022, in the delayed World Championships in Oregon, Crouser won the world title. Additionally, though of less significance, he finished second in the World Indoor Championships in 2022.

During their active years, had the World Championships been available, Parry O’Brien and Randy Matson would have likely won multiple titles. As such, for comparative purposes, it would seem appropriate to lend minimal if any weight to Crouser’s performances at these high-level meets.

---

Level of Performance Compared to Contemporary Rivals

There are numerous ways this critical area can be measured, including world rankings, world records, milestone performances, winning streaks, and national titles.

Among the more accurate means of comparing athletes in a given year is through the annual world rankings compiled by the experts at Track and Field News. Since the first version in 1947, these rankings have been considered to be fair and accurate by track fans worldwide and serve as a dependable means of comparing the overall performance of the top athletes in each event in a given year. Randy Matson was top-ranked for five years, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, and 1970. During this span of six years, it was only in 1969, a post-Olympic year in which he competed sparingly and was ranked fifth, that Matson was not top-ranked.

Thus far, Ryan Crouser has been top-ranked for four years, 2016, 2017, 2019, and 2021, a span of six years. In the Covid-impacted year of 2020, there were no official rankings, but had there been, Crouser would unquestionably have been the top men’s shot putter. As of this writing, the 2022 rankings have not been released; with a US and World title, it is anticipated that he will be ranked at or near the top again.

Parry O’Brien was top-ranked for seven years, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1956, 1958, and 1959. During that span of eight years, it was only in 1957, a year that he focused primarily on the discus, that O’Brien was not named the top shot putter, ranking second.

Those Track and Field News annual rankings are even more powerful and informative when used to objectively measure an athlete’s performance level over an entire career (or in Crouser’s case, what we anticipate to be a partial career). Using a descending scale (10 points for 1^st ranking, 9 points for 2^nd, 1 point for 10^th, etc.), we have a measure of an athlete’s long-term performance level as well as his longevity in the event. Using only rankings in the shot put over his career, Randy Matson amassed a total of 79 ranking points. For a career that is still ongoing, Ryan Crouser has accumulated a total of 60 points. (For purposes of a fair comparison, Crouser is awarded points for ranking 1^st in 2020 [no formal rankings due to Covid] and 2022 [rankings not yet available.])

But it is Parry O’Brien whose long-term dominance and longevity are demonstrated through this analysis of the annual rankings. For his lengthy career in the shot put, O’Brien amassed a total of 126 points, at the time of his retirement the most points of any track and field athlete in any event. To place this achievement in a more modern perspective, Ryan Crouser could surpass O’Brien’s 126 ranking points by receiving the top ranking for each of the next seven years.

Setting world records would seem to be an important attribute of the greatest shot putter of all time. In his amazing career, Randy Matson broke the world mark on three occasions, becoming the first athlete to surpass 68, 69, 70, and 71 feet. Ryan Crouser has broken the absolute world record only once, but it was both significant and historic. The mark he surpassed had been in place for 31 years and was largely considered tainted because of its linkage to performance-enhancing drugs. Because of the steroid issue, Crouser and his contemporary rivals faced unique challenges that Matson and O’Brien did not, both of whom competed before PEDs began to wield such enormous influence over the throwing events. In essence, that Ryan Crouser has only broken the world record one time should be considered from the perspective that his record-breaking performance required overcoming some exceptional issues not faced by the other two athletes.

Parry O’Brien broke the world shot put record an amazing sixteen times, at that time more world records in a single event than any other track and field athlete. He was the first to surpass the 59, 60, 61, 62, and 63 feet barriers. Given the current state of the sport, surpassing his number of world marks in the shot put would seem extremely challenging.

The differential between an athlete’s best performance in a year and the best throw of the next longest thrower is an indication of a thrower’s dominance in a given season. In 1958, Parry O’Brien reached over two feet farther than the next longest thrower. In 2021, Ryan Crouser threw over two feet farther than the next longest thrower that year. But the previous year, in the Covid-shortened season of 2020, he surpassed the next longest thrower by over three feet.

But in a testament to how mind-boggling his 1965 season was, Randy Matson threw over seven feet farther than the next longest thrower that year. In that historic season, he extended the world record from the 67-10 that Dallas Long had achieved the previous year out to 70-7, an increase of almost three feet in one year. He threw without peers and against virtually no meaningful competition.

Winning streaks are a measure of an athlete’s dominance, though an occasional loss should not necessarily be viewed as overly negative. Despite being pushed by top athletes like Joe Kovacs and Tom Walsh, Ryan Crouser has had a winning streak of 25 competitions, including during the 2020 season that was impacted by the pandemic. While at Texas A&M, Randy Matson won 33 consecutive shot put competitions.

But Parry O’Brien had a shot put winning streak of 116 competitions, at the time the longest such streak in the history of track and field. Only the famed 400-meter hurdler Edwin Moses was able to surpass this amazing record when he won his 117^th consecutive race in 1986.

Randy Matson won six outdoor national titles (AAU), including four competitions in which he established a new meet record. Ryan Crouser has thus far won five outdoor national titles (USATF), including two with meet records. Parry O’Brien won eight national AAU outdoor championships, setting meet records in six of those competitions.

---

Longevity

To be considered the greatest of all time, an athlete must typically remain active, world-ranked, and competitive for Olympic and World titles for longer periods of time.

Randy Matson was a legitimate, high-performing medal contender through three Olympic cycles, 1964, 1968, and 1972, winning a gold and a silver medal in the process. As another measure, he was first ranked in the Track and Field News world rankings in 1964 and last ranked in 1972, an active span of nine years. After failing to make the Olympic team traveling to Munich, Matson turned professional and competed for a few years in the International Track Association.

Ryan Crouser, again with his career not yet completed, has been a medal contender through two Olympic cycles, 2016 and 2020, winning two gold medals in the process. He was first world-ranked in 2014, and it is anticipated that he will be ranked in 2022, making his current span of performing at a world-class level nine years.

Parry O’Brien concluded a long and legendary career in the shot put in 1967 and was a bona fide Olympic medal contender through four cycles, 1952, 1956, 1960, and 1964. He was first world-ranked in 1951 and last ranked in 1966, a lengthy span of sixteen years.

---

Impact on the Shot Put Event

Including this criterion might be considered by some to be inappropriate, preferring to focus only on distances thrown and competitions won. But in the opinion of this author, an athlete who has fundamentally and positively altered his event has enhanced his status as one of the greats of the sport.

Randy Matson’s technique was solid if unspectacular, efficient in leveraging his large frame to propel the shot record distances. But it was those performances that allowed the big Texan to most significantly change the shot put. By increasing the world record by almost three feet in a single year, Matson substantially raised the bar for his contemporary rivals. After Matson’s arrival on the world stage, a thrower hoping to win an Olympic gold medal needed to be able to reach not 66 or 67 feet, but rather 69 or 70 or 71.

Ryan Crouser has utilized a sharp and analytical mind to develop a more scientific approach to training and technique. Utilizing the spin technique rather than the simpler glide more common to taller throwers, Crouser has developed and honed a smooth, efficient, and deliberate technique that other taller throwers would do well to emulate.

It was Parry O’Brien, however, who famously changed the shot put event. Focusing on “MA” (“mental attitude”) and “PA” (“physical aptitude”), he sought any advantage he could find in training and competition. He utilized yoga, ayurvedic approaches to medicine, and other Eastern wellness approaches. He used self-hypnosis and subliminal messaging to enhance his competitiveness. And he utilized, more than any other thrower of his era, strategies designed to gain a psychological advantage over, or “psych out,” his opponents. He used such mundane tactics as wearing two sets of warmup clothes, ignoring his rivals during competitions, throwing from the side of the throwing circle to make his warmup tosses seem longer, and swigging from a white bottle with a mysterious “energy-providing substance” (clover honey), all in an effort to cause other competitors to focus on him rather than themselves and make him seem unbeatable.

But it was in two different areas, one related to training and the other to technique, that Parry O’Brien had the greatest impact on the evolution of the shot put event. Before he came into prominence in the early 1950s, most athletes, including shot putters, avoided weight training because they believed it would make them muscle-bound and slower. O’Brien was the first of the truly great shot putters to embrace a comprehensive program of weight lifting, adopting that training modality as being of equal importance to actual throwing. It transformed his body and the stellar results that followed served as proof that such training was essential to reaching a thrower’s maximum potential. Since the mid-1950s, every great shot putter has also been a devoted weight lifter, and Parry O’Brien can be credited with helping bring that practice into wide acceptance.

But it was in the area of technique that this amazing athlete had the greatest influence on the shot put event. Before O’Brien, shot putters utilized what could be described as a sort of “hop” technique. They began their movement across the ring from the back of the circle, for a right-handed thrower with the shot cradled against the neck and the chest facing to the right side of the ring. They would then straddle and hop across the ring, turning 90 degrees as they released the shot.

O’Brien had an analytical mind and recognized the limitations of the hop technique. He began experimenting with turning the body so that the thrower began the movement across the ring with his chest facing opposite the landing area. This added another 90 degrees of body turn at the front of the ring, increasing the amount of force behind the shot. While it was risky to make what was considered a radical change heading into an Olympic year, to Parry O’Brien, the alteration in the throwing motion was simply a matter of physics, allowing for a longer pull and more force behind the implement. He won the gold medal in Helsinki in 1952, and soon virtually every world-class shot putter was utilizing what was called the “O’Brien Glide.” Though most of the best shot putters in the world today utilize the rotational technique, from 1952 through 1992, every men’s Olympic gold medalist in the shot put utilized this technique. And, through the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, the winner of the women’s shot put has still used this technique.

Though in some respects a subtle change, Parry O’Brien’s experimentations and courage to make that technical adjustment revolutionized the event.

---

Use of Performance-Enhancing Drugs

Steroids and the pursuit of artificial performance enhancements have represented a significant challenge for many sports. And few have been impacted more than track and field, with the throwing events at the forefront of these challenges. In the shot put, discus, and hammer events, world bests performed decades ago either remain in the record books or, in the case of the men’s shot put, were only recently broken. Despite improvements in training, technique, nutrition, throwing surfaces, shoes, etc., those records that were established during an era of state-sponsored drug programs and before the implementation of an effective comprehensive testing program have largely withstood over thirty years of concentrated efforts by great athletes to better them. Though some might disagree, in the view of this author, any athlete whose performance levels were appreciably enhanced by verifiable use of performance-enhancing drugs is not worthy of consideration as the greatest of all time in his event.

Parry O’Brien completed most of his career during a time when steroids, while in existence, were not widely utilized by track and field athletes. He has denied using such substances, and there is no evidence suggesting otherwise.

Ryan Crouser, who in 2021 broke the long-standing shot put world record of an athlete who was suspended from the sport for testing positive for a banned substance shortly after setting that mark, has completed his entire professional career under a strict drug-testing regimen. There is no evidence that he ever tested positive for PEDs, or that he at any time used them.

Among the three greats of the sport being discussed here, only Randy Matson has any known linkage to steroids, and that linkage was short-lived, occurred at a time when the substance was legal, and came to light by his own admission. Shortly after the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, Matson indicated he took steroids for three weeks in an attempt to gain strength and size. He indicates that he stopped using the substance after that brief period because he didn’t believe they were effective and because he was concerned about potential side effects, which were being uncovered at the time. There is no evidence of PED use outside of this three-week window.

In 1964, steroids had not been banned by the governing bodies, were relatively new to the sporting world, and were not viewed with the same negative connotation as they are today. Some are purists regarding performance-enhancing drugs, meaning any dalliance with the substances, regardless of the length of time or impact on performance, should permanently tarnish the athlete’s competitive reputation. I disagree, particularly during a time when they were not illegal, and believe we should not view such use in the 1960s from a 2020s perspective. From the viewpoint of this author, Randy Matson’s very brief use of steroids in a manner that would have minimal impact on his performance levels should in no way diminish how the track and field world views his phenomenal career, and should not cloud his status in the sport.

---

Criteria-Based Comparison of the Top Three Men’s Shot Putters of All Time

---

Conclusion – Who’s the GOAT?

So, again, who is the greatest men’s shot putter of all time?

We began this process by establishing a set of criteria and then applying those standards to the athletes we considered to have completed the greatest competitive careers in the history of the event. Based on that analysis, it was determined that the greatest three to have ever competed were Parry O’Brien, Randy Matson, and Ryan Crouser. Like everything written here, the selection of these three iconic athletes is admittedly subject to interpretation and discussion.

So, considering this iconic trio of legends of the sport, and applying the criteria that were identified, who is the GOAT in this event?

---

Randy Matson had an amazing career, setting records of 70 and 71 feet when his rivals were struggling to reach 66 and 67 feet. Particularly during his time as a Texas A&M Aggie, he was virtually unbeatable, and there were expectations that as he matured as an athlete, he would extend the record to a virtually insurmountable level. It didn’t happen, though Matson was outstanding through the end of his amateur career in 1972. He won a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 1964 at the age of nineteen and then won the gold medal in Mexico City four years later. Then, though considered among the favorites heading into the Munich Games in 1972, he failed to make the US team. Had his amateur career been longer, had he extended the world record beyond what he set at the age of 22, had he experienced additional Olympic success in 1972, his case as the greatest of all time would have no doubt been strengthened.

Still, Randy Matson must be considered among the best ever in the men’s shot put event, though not the greatest.

---

In a relatively brief career, Ryan Crouser (who is still 29 at this writing) has amassed an incredible competitive record, checking off all the boxes expected of one of the greatest in his event. He won an unanticipated gold medal at the Rio Olympics in 2016 and then defended that title in Tokyo in 2021. After mixed success in World Championship competitions, he won the coveted world title in 2022 in Oregon. From 2020 through 2021, he put together two of the greatest seasons in the history of the event. And then at the US Olympic Trials in 2021, following a four-year pursuit for him and a 31-year quest for the rest of the shot put world, he broke a long-standing world record, bringing that mark into the “clean” era.

But as has been suggested, evaluating an athlete’s competitive record in mid-career is fraught with challenges, and perhaps a bit unfair. Though there are certainly no guarantees, there is a good likelihood that Ryan Crouser will add to his Olympic medal count, impressive as it already is, possibly win more world titles, and maybe even extend his world record.

Unlike Parry O’Brien and Randy Matson before him, Crouser has the opportunity to add to his long list of accolades and strengthen his place among the best to have ever competed in the event. Should that occur, it will be natural to reevaluate this amazing athlete’s status as the greatest of all time. As of now, in the view of this author, Ryan Crouser has simply not had enough time and opportunity to make that case.

---

Parry O’Brien, though largely forgotten except to the most die-hard track and field fans, epitomizes dominance and greatness like no other men’s shot putter. He was a legitimate medal contender at four Olympics, and won three medals, more than any other in his event (except for Ralph Rose, who competed in multiple events when the modern era of the Olympics was in its infancy). He established sixteen world records in his career, at that point the most world marks by any track and field athlete in any event. He was a barrier-breaking thrower, becoming the first to surpass 59, 60, 61, 62, and 63 feet. And perhaps as the greatest testament to his dominance and longevity, he amassed a total of 126 points in the Track and Field News world rankings, at that time the most points by any athlete in any event, and far more points than Randy Matson (79) or Ryan Crouser (60).

But Parry O’Brien’s greatness extended well beyond distances thrown and titles won. More than any other shot putter, he brought acceptance to weight lifting as a training modality. He revolutionized the use of ploys or tactics to “psych out” his opponents and pursued practices from Eastern traditions to gain any added advantage over his rivals. And perhaps more significantly, by turning his body 90 degrees at the back of the circle as he began the throwing motion, he invented what became known as the “O’Brien Glide,” a technique that would dominate the event for nearly a half-century.

There have been some truly great shot putters in history, including Randy Matson and Ryan Crouser. But in the opinion of this author, the greatest of all time is unquestionably Parry O’Brien.

---

We began this series with the question of whether Ryan Crouser, as many have asserted, is the greatest men’s shot putter of all time. My answer to that question as of this writing is simply. . . not yet!

---

Update – April 2024

The 2023 season was another outstanding one for Ryan Crouser, adding numerous accolades to his stellar competitive resume. He extended the shot put world record to 77-3¾, becoming the first to surpass seventy-seven feet. He overcame potentially debilitating blood clots in his legs to win his second world championship. (This past March, he also added his first world indoor title.)

Crouser again dominated the event, going undefeated until the Diamond League Final where he lost by less than an inch to Joe Kovac’s 75-2¾ effort. He was the top-ranked men’s shot putter in Track and Field News’ annual rankings for the fourth consecutive year, his sixth top ranking in the past seven years. And for the second time in his career, Crouser was named the “Men’s Athlete of the Year” by the same periodical.

As a testament to the high performance level, he has consistently demonstrated in recent years, at the end of the 2023 season, Ryan Crouser had nine of the ten longest throws in history. (“Unmatched Shot Consistency,” Track and Field News, January 2024, p. 9)

Contributing to his dominance and a testament to his impact on the shot put event, Crouser in 2023 began implementing a subtle but significant technical change. Dubbed the “Crouser Slide,” this new technique has Crouser moving farther to the right in the back of the circle and beginning his rotation with a small step with his left foot. This alteration increases the amount of rotational force he can apply to the shot throughout the rotary motion. He used the “Slide” on his 77-3¾ world record.

So, what impact does this latest dominant and historic season have on the status of Ryan Crouser as the greatest men’s shot putter of all time, a designation we have tentatively bestowed upon Parry O’Brien?

• Crouser added a second world title (as well as his first indoor title). This is a major accomplishment, but one that was not available to O’Brien.
• He added another top shot put ranking, increasing his total to seven. This equals O’Brien’s total of #1 rankings.
• Crouser increased his total of world ranking points to seventy-nine. He still trails Parry O’Brien’s total of 126 points.
• He set his second world record, which is dwarfed by O’Brien’s sixteen. That Crouser was chasing a decades-old standard considered by many to be suspect because of performance-enhancing drugs no doubt diminishes the significance of the gap between these two numbers.
• With his most recent world record, Crouser is now the first to surpass both 76 and 77 feet. O’Brien was the first to reach 59, 60, 61, 62, and 63 feet.
• In 2023, Crouser won his sixth outdoor national title. O’Brien won eight national titles.
• From his first placement in the Track and Field News world rankings to the most recent, Ryan Crouser’s career of top-level seasons now spans ten years. This compares to O’Brien’s span of sixteen years.
• Crouser implemented a technical change that, while not one that will likely revolutionize the rotational technique, has the potential to enhance the effectiveness of the technique most top shot putters now utilize. The “O’Brien Glide,” first demonstrated by Parry O’Brien over seventy years ago, did revolutionize the event, was the predominant technique for decades, and is still widely used to this day.

So, with the achievements of his dominant 2023 season, did Ryan Crouser become the greatest men’s shot putter of all time, the GOAT of the event? In the opinion of this author and based on the evaluative criteria upon which this series has been based, the answer is still “no,” though he is certainly getting closer to the top with each outstanding season, each new world record, and each world title won. With his three Olympic medals, including two golds, and with a long career completed at a very high level, Parry O’Brien is still the GOAT.

Some may logically ask how Crouser could more quickly ascend to this lofty title of the greatest of all time. Again, in the opinion of this author, given his dominance and competitive record, should Ryan Crouser win his third gold medal, unprecedented in this event, he could automatically be labeled the best men’s shot putter that ever lived.

---

Reference

Track and Field News, “Unmatched Shot Consistency,” January 2024, 9

---

Copyright 2024 by Rob Leachman – All Rights Reserved