 Whiting during 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Istanbul. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Ryan Keith Whiting | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | American | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1986-11-24)November 24, 1986 (age 38) Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 295 lb (134 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Track and field | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Event | Shot put | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | Arizona State University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | David Dumble | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personalbests |
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Medal record
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Ryan Keith Whiting (born November 24, 1986) is an Americantrack and field coach and retired athlete who competed inshot put. His biggest international success as an athlete was first place at the2012 World Indoor Championships. He represented the United States at the2011 World Championships in Athletics,2013 World Championships in Athletics,2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships and the2012 London Olympics.
He competed for theArizona State Sun Devils collegiately and won sixNCAA titles while there. His throw of 21.73 m (71 ft3+1⁄2 in) to win the 2008 NCAA Indoor title is the best mark by a college student indoors. He was the 2011, 2013,[1] and 2014[2] American indoor champion.
Ryan Whiting was born inHarrisburg, Pennsylvania, the son of Kent and Jill Whiting. Whiting attendedCentral Dauphin High School and started competing in shot put anddiscus throw events as a teenager.[3] Whiting made his international debut at the2005 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships, where he won both events with personal record marks.[4] He was chosen as theGatorade Male Track and Field Athlete of the year, ranking him as the top American high school track-and-fielder. Entering the senior ranks, he cleared 19 metres in the shot put for the first time at theUSA Indoor Track and Field Championships, placing eighth with a throw of 19.36 m. By the end of the season he had improved his personal records to 19.75 m (64 ft9+1⁄2 in) for the shot and 59.44 m (195 ft 0 in) for the discus.[3]
He started a majoring incivil engineering atArizona State University in 2006 and began competingathletically for theArizona State Sun Devils in 2007. In his first indoor season for the team he raised the school record to 20.01 m (65 ft7+3⁄4 in) to take third in the shot at theNCAA Men's Indoor Track and Field Championship. Outdoors he was third at thePac-10 championships and fourth at theNCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship. He improved his overall best in the shot to 20.35 m (66 ft 9 in).[3]
Whiting was much improved in his second season for the Sun Devils and secured the NCAA Indoor title in the shot put with a throw of 21.73 m (71 ft3+1⁄2 in) – this was an American collegiate indoor record and raised him to thirteenth on the all-time indoor lists.[5] He threw a personal record of 61.11 m (200 ft5+3⁄4 in) for the discus in March.[6] He did not bring his indoor form to the outdoor season and was runner-up in the shot at both the Pac-10 and NCAA outdoor championships. He also ranked top ten in the discus at the NCAA meet and placed sixth in the shot put at theUSA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.[3] He performed well at the season-ending2008 NACAC Under-23 Championships in Athletics, taking the shot put gold and discus silver medals.[7]
In his third year of competition for Arizona State, he was dominant in collegiate events. He defended his NCAA Indoor shot put title with a throw of 20.16 m (66 ft1+1⁄2 in). He had a string of victories outdoors, taking the Pac-10, NCAA West, and NCAA Outdoor titles. His throw of 20.99 m (68 ft10+1⁄4 in) at the NCAA West Regionals was his best outdoors and a school record.[8] He also qualified for the NCAA finals in the discus throw and finished as runner-up by a narrow margin.[3] He again was ranked top ten in the shot put at the USA national championships.
In his final season for the Sun Devils he won a third NCAA indoor title with a throw of 21.52 m.[9] He swept the Pac-10 outdoor shot put and discus throw titles before going on to claim the same double at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. In winning the shot put title, he threw a mark of 21.97 m (72 ft3⁄4 in) – a personal record and three centimetres off the overallcollegiate record of 22 metres held byJohn Godina.[10]
Over the course of his four years competing for Arizona State University, he earned nine NCAAAll-American honours and six NCAA titles (three indoor shot put, two outdoor shot put, one discus).[10] TheU.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association selected him as the American indoor performer of the year for 2008. In addition, he excelled off the field with his studies: he was twice chosen for the second team of theAcademic All-Americastudent-athlete program and received a number of Pac-10 and USTFCCCA All-Academic honours.[3]
Whiting signed up withNike Inc. in 2010, while still at Arizona State, and began to compete on the Americantrack and field circuit that year.[11] He was runner-up toChristian Cantwell at the 2010 USA Indoor Championships and placed fifth at the USA Outdoors.[12] Following his graduation from Arizona State in 2010, he began to focus on shot putting full-time. Returning to his native Pennsylvania, Whiting became a volunteer coach on thePenn State University track and field staff. He secured his first national title at the 2011 USA Indoor Championships, easily beating second-placedDan Taylor.[13] He came fourth at the2011 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, but because Cantwell automatically entered as defending champion, Whiting still gained a spot for the2011 World Championships in Athletics. On his global debut, he came seventh in the men's shot put final.[6] He also performed well on theIAAF Diamond League circuit, having top three finishes on theDoha,Lausanne andZürich legs in 2011.[14] In 2012, Ryan was USA indoor runner-up.[15]
He established his place among the world's top throwers with a win at the2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships, winning thegold medal with a throw of 22 m (72 ft 2 in).[16] He did not match this form outdoors that year,[17] but still managed a number of podium finishes on the2011 IAAF Diamond League circuit (Shanghai,Stockholm and Zürich). His best outdoor throw of the year came at the2012 United States Olympic Trials, where his mark of 21.66 m brought him second place behindReese Hoffa. Representing theUnited States at the Olympics for the first time, he reached his second outdoor global final, this time placing ninth with a mark of 20.64 m.[18]
Whiting finished 1st in the Shot Put on 7 March 2014 at the2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships.[19]
He has two brothers, Evan and Ross. He married his wife, Ashley, in 2011.[11]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representing the United States | |||||
| 2005 | Pan American Junior Championships | Windsor,Canada | 1st | Shot put (6 kg) | 19.75 m |
| 1st | Discus throw (1.750 kg) | 61.40 m | |||
| 2008 | NACAC U23 Championships | Toluca, Mexico | 1st | Shot put | 19.46 mA |
| 2nd | Discus throw | 53.47 mA | |||
| 2011 | World Championships | Daegu, South Korea | 6th | Shot put | 20.75 m |
| 2012 | World Indoor Championships | Istanbul, Turkey | 1st | Shot put | 22.00 m |
| Olympic Games | London,United Kingdom | 9th | Shot put | 20.64 m | |
| 2013 | World Championships | Moscow,Russia | 2nd | Shot put | 21.57 m |
| 2014 | World Indoor Championships | Sopot,Poland | 1st | Shot put | 22.05 m |
| 2017 | World Championships | London,United Kingdom | 7th | Shot put | 21.09 m |
| 2018 | World Indoor Championships | Birmingham, United Kingdom | 7th | Shot put | 21.03 m |
| Event | Best (m) | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shot put (outdoor) | 22.28 | Doha, Qatar | May 10, 2013 |
| Shot put (indoor) | 22.23 | Albuquerque, New Mexico | February 23, 2014 |
| Discus throw (outdoor) | 61.11 | Tempe, Arizona | March 29, 2008 |
 Diamond League champions in men's shot put | |
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