[2] The event was won by Tomasz Majewski of Poland, the nation's first victory (and first medal) in the men's shot put since 1972.

Christian Cantwell of the United States took silver, the seventh consecutive Games in which an American finished first or second.

The top eight finishers from 2004 returned: Yuriy Bilonoh of Ukraine (whose 2004 gold medal would later be stripped), Adam Nelson of the United States, Joachim Olsen of Denmark, Manuel Martínez Gutiérrez of Spain, Andrei Mikhnevich and Yury Bialou of Belarus, Justin Anlezark of Australia, and Ralf Bartels of Germany, along with eleventh-place finisher Miran Vodovnik of Slovenia.

Hoffa, Nelson, and Christian Cantwell were favored, with an American sweep thought to be a "real possibility.

"[2] Chinese Taipei, Iran, Jamaica, Portugal, and Serbia each made their debut in the men's shot put.