[1] The event was won by Randy Barnes of the United States, the nation's second consecutive and 16th overall victory in the men's shot put.

His teammate John Godina took silver, while Oleksandr Bagach earned Ukraine's first medal in the event with a bronze.

The only returning finalist from the 1992 Games was seventh-place finisher Dragan Perić, then an Independent Olympic Participant and now representing Yugoslavia.

The 1988 silver medalist Randy Barnes of the United States, who set a world record in 1990 that is still extant in 2020, also returned after missing the 1992 Games while suspended.

[2] American Samoa, Belarus, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, and Venezuela each made their debut in the men's shot put.