Ryan Crouser (born December 18, 1992) is an American track and field athlete who competes in the shot put and discus.

He specializes in the shot put, in which he is the only three-time Olympic gold medalist, having won in Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo and Paris, and also a two-time World Champion.

He won the national title in the shot put at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships seven of the eight times the event was held between 2016 and 2024.

[5] In 2009, his sophomore year at Sam Barlow High School in Gresham, Oregon, Crouser set a national sophomore record with the 1.62 kg (3.58 lb) discus, throwing 61.72 m.[5][6] This mark was also the Oregon high school state record until Sam Crouser broke it the following year.

[11] His first title came as a sophomore at the 2013 NCAA Outdoor Championships, where he threw 21.09 m. Crouser, who had been successful academically, began to struggle with the heavy workload during his second year and opted to switch his major from engineering to economics.

[12] In his third year at the university, Crouser won another national title in the shot put at the 2014 NCAA Indoor Championships in March, throwing 21.21 m to defeat Stephen Mozia (20.06 m).

[19] In June 2016, he was named a semi-finalist for the Bowerman, an award given by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association to the year's outstanding student-athlete.

At the trials, Crouser defeated the reigning world champion, Joe Kovacs, to win his first national title and qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

[23] Crouser won another national title in the shot put in June 2017[25] and competed in the event at the 2017 World Championships in London, where he finished sixth.

[33] His competition schedule was halted until July due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused the postponement of the 2020 Summer Games and the disruption of the international sports calendar.

[36] On January 24, Crouser set a world record for the indoor shot put at the American Track League meet.

[44] His achievements in 2021 included the three farthest throws in history, nine of the top ten marks of the year, maintaining an undefeated streak since 2019, and winning the Diamond League final.

[46] The following summer, on June 24, the 29-year old won a national title in the shot put, qualifying to participate in the event at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene.

His world record came on 27 May at the Los Angeles Grand Prix, where he threw 23.56 m.[48] The 30-year old attributed the performance to his development of a new technique, which he refers to as the "step-across".

On July 9, Crouser won another national title in the shot put at the 2023 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Marcus Thompson of The Athletic wrote: "What makes this one extra special is Crouser, at one point this year, thought his career was over".

For his core discipline, he practices shot put four to five times a week, each session involving 20 to 40 throws and lasting 90 to 120 minutes.

Crouser draws training techniques from MMA and baseball pitching, focusing on the similarities in rotational power and body mechanics to increase the velocity and energy transfer in his throws.

"[35] He was also captured in the New York Times as stating that he follows each of his five daily meals with 16 ounces of milk, amounting to half a gallon a day.

[63] In December 2019, Crouser moved from the United States Olympic Training Center in San Diego to the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, where he took a position as a volunteer coach for the men's track and field team.