Czechoslovak shot putterPlíhal at the 1957 East German Indoor Athletics ChampionshipsShot putter at the University of Nebraska,(1942), showing the circle and stop board
Homer mentions competitions of rock throwing by soldiers during thesiege of Troy but there is no record of any weights being thrown in Greek competitions. The first evidence forstone- or weight-throwing events were in theScottish Highlands, and date back to approximately the first century.[1] In the 16th centuryKing Henry VIII was noted for his prowess in court competitions of weight andhammer throwing.[2]
The first events resembling the modern shot put likely occurred in theMiddle Ages when soldiers held competitions in which they hurledcannonballs. Shot put competitions were first recorded in early 19th centuryScotland, and were a part of the British Amateur Championships beginning in 1866.[3]
Competitors take their throw from inside a marked circle 2.135 metres (7 ft) indiameter, with a "toe board" or "stop board" 10 centimetres (4 in) high at the front of the circle. The distance thrown is measured from the inside of thecircumference of the circle to the nearest mark made on the ground by the falling shot, with distances rounded down to the nearest centimetre underIAAF andWMA rules.
Czechoslovak shot putterJiří Skobla showing the correct technique for keeping the shot near the neck
The following rules (indoor and outdoor) must be adhered to for a legal throw:
Upon calling the athlete's name, the athlete may choose any part of the throwing circle to enter inside. They have one minute to commence the throwing motion; otherwise it counts as a forfeit for the current round.
The athlete may not weargloves; IAAF rules permit thetaping of individual fingers.
The athlete must rest the shot close to theneck, and keep it tight to the neck throughout the motion.
The shot must be released above the height of theshoulder, using only one hand.
The athlete may touch the inside surface of the circle or toe board, but must not touch the top or outside of the circle or toe board, or the ground beyond the circle. Limbs may, however, extend over the lines of the circle in the air.
The shot must land in thethrowing sector, which is acircular sector of 34.92° centered on the throwing circle. The throwing sector has been narrowed multiple times over the years to improve safety, most recently in 2004 from 40°. The current throwing sector angle (34.92°) was chosen because it provides a sector whose bounds are easy to measure and lay out on a field (10 metres out from the center of the ring, 6 metres across).[4]
The athlete must leave the throwing circle from the back half.
The following are either obsolete or non-existent, but commonly believed rules for professional competition:[citation needed]
The athlete must enter the circle from the back (no rule books contain such a clause).
The athlete entering the circle, then exiting and re-entering it before starting the throw results in a foul (all rule books allow athletes to leave a circle before starting a throw, but this still counts within the 30 second time limit; the allowable method of exiting the circle varies by rule book).
Loose clothing, shoelaces, or long hair touching outside the circle during a throw, or an athlete bringing a towel into the circle and then throwing it out before the put, results in a foul.
Each of these competitions in the modern era have a set number of rounds of throws. Typically there are three qualification rounds to determine qualification for the final. There are then three preliminary rounds in the final with the top eight competitors receiving a further three throws. Each competitor in the final is credited with their longest throw, regardless of whether it was achieved in the preliminary or final three rounds. The competitor with the longest legal put is declared the winner.
In open competitions the men's shot weighs 7.26 kilograms (16 lb), and the women's shot weighs 4 kilograms (8.82 lb). Junior, school, and masters competitions often use different weights of shots, typically below the weights of those used in open competitions; the individual rules for each competition should be consulted in order to determine the correct weights to be used.
Two putting styles are in current general use by shot put competitors: theglide and thespin. With all putting styles, the goal is to release the shot with maximum forwardvelocity at an angle of slightly less than forty-five degrees.[5]
The origin of this technique dates to 1951, whenParry O'Brien from theUnited States invented a technique that involved the putter facing backwards, rotating 180 degrees across the circle, and then tossing the shot. Unlike spin, this technique is a linear movement.[6]
With this technique, a right-hand thrower would begin facing the rear of the circle. They would typically adopt a specific type of crouch, involving their bent right leg, in order to begin the throw from a more beneficial posture whilst alsoisometrically preloading their muscles. The positioning of their bodyweight over their bent leg, which pushes upwards with equal force, generates a preparatory isometric press. The force generated by this press will be channelled into the subsequent throw making it more powerful. To initiate the throw they kick to the front with the left leg, while pushing off forcefully with the right. As the thrower crosses the circle, thehips twist toward the front, the left arm is swung out then pulled back tight, followed by the shoulders, and they then strike in a putting motion with their right arm. The key is to move quickly across the circle with as little air under the feet as possible, hence the name 'glide'.
This is also known as the rotational technique.[7] It was first practiced in Europe in the 1950s but did not receive much attention until the 1970s.[8] In 1972,Aleksandr Baryshnikov set his firstUSSR record using a new putting style, the spin ("круговой мах" in Russian), invented by his coach Viktor Alexeyev.[9][10] The spin involves rotating like adiscus thrower and usingrotational momentum for power. In 1976 Baryshnikov went on to set aworld record of 22.00 m (72.18 ft) with his spin style, and was the first shot putter to cross the 22-meter mark.[11]
With this technique, a right-hand thrower faces the rear, and begins to spin on theball of the left foot. The thrower comes around and faces the front of the circle and drives the right foot into the center of the circle. Finally, the thrower reaches for the front of the circle with the left foot, twisting the hips and shoulders like in the glide, and puts the shot.
When the athlete executes the spin, the upper body is twisted hard to the right, so the imaginary lines created by the shoulders and hips are no longer parallel. This action builds uptorque, and stretches the muscles, creating an involuntaryelasticity in the muscles, providing extrapower andmomentum. When the athlete prepares to release, the left foot is firmly planted, causing the momentum and energy generated to beconserved, pushing the shot in an upward and outward direction.
Another purpose of the spin is to build up a highrotational speed, by swinging the right leg initially, then to bring all the limbs in tightly, similar to afigure skater bringing in their arms whilespinning to increase their speed. Once this fast speed is achieved the shot is released, transferring the energy into the shot put.
Until 2016, a woman had never made an Olympic final (top 8) using the spin technique. The first woman to enter a final and win a medal at the Olympics wasAnita Márton.[12][8]
Ryan Crouser, the current men's world record holder, added an additional move, the "Crouser Slide", to his spin technique. He used this technique to set the world record at the Los Angeles Grand Prix in 2023.[13]
A vertical spinning technique where the athlete does a cartwheel on one hand before releasing the shot. It is currently banned in major competitions.[14]
Currently, most top male shot putters use the spin. However the glide remains popular since the technique leads to greater consistency compared to the rotational technique. Almost all throwers start by using the glide.Tomasz Majewski notes that although most athletes use the spin,[15] he and some other top shot putters achieved success using this classic method (for example he became the first to defend the Olympic title in 56 years).
The world record and the next six best male results (23.37, 23.30, 23.15, and 23.12 by Ryan Crouser, 23.23 by Joe Kovacs, and 23.12 and 23.10 by Randy Barnes) were completed with the spin technique, while the eighth-best all-time put of 23.06 m (75 ft7+3⁄4 in) byUlf Timmermann was completed with the glide technique.
The decision to glide or spin may need to be decided on an individual basis, determined by the thrower's size and power. Short throwers may benefit from the spin and taller throwers may benefit from the glide, but many throwers do not follow this guideline.
The shot is made of different kinds of materials depending on its intended use. Materials used includesand,iron,cast iron, solidsteel,stainless steel,brass, andsynthetic materials likepolyvinyl. Somemetals are moredense than others, making the size of the shot vary. For example, different materials are used to make indoor and outdoor shot – because damage to surroundings must be taken into account – so the latter are smaller. There are various size and weight standards for the implement that depend on the age and gender of the competitors as well as the national customs of the governing body.
Ryan Crouser threw 23.12 in Eugene, Oregon on 24 June 2022. 23.01, 23.11 and 22.98 (ancillary throws) were recorded for his remaining attempts. This was the first time the 23-metre barrier has been broken more than once in a series.[26]
Crouser also threw a series of 23.23, 23.31, 22.94, 23.56, 22.80 and 22.86 in Los Angeles, California on 27 May 2023 to break again the 23-metre mark three times in a series.[21]
Ryan Crouser threw 23.38i, a possible world record, inPocatello, Idaho on 18 February 2023. But this result was unratifiable because the throwing circle was too wide and raised above ground level.[51]
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