Ryan Crouser, U.S. mixed relay claim golds at worlds - ESPN

TOKYO — U.S. shot put thrower Ryan Crouser made it three world championships in a row to go with his three straight Olympic golds.

This one, though, was a surprise.

«I just had to kind of trust that when I got in the ring I could hit the shot like I used to,» he said.

All of Crouser's six official throws of 2025 came Saturday night: one in qualifying and five in finals. He has been nursing an elbow injury and hadn't competed in a global or national event all year.

His throw of 22.34 meters (73 feet, 3½ inches) was good for the most unlikely gold medal of his remarkable career. He joined Switzerland's Werner Günthör as the second man to win three straight shot put titles.

Crouser has been dealing with what's called a nerve entrapment in his elbow. At a recent MRI to gauge the injury, the techs injected contrast fluid into the joint, and it leaked out to his forearm, an indicator of how severely damaged the elbow really was.

«It's been a long process,» he said.

Did he think he had a chance, given the injury, the lack of preparation and the solid field of throwers who thought maybe, finally, they would have their own chance to win?

«It was really tough to say, because I really haven't thrown hard, haven't seen a ball go more than 20 meters in practice,» Crouser said. «So I just didn't know what was going to be in the tank tonight.»

Uziel Munoz of Mexico set a national record and earned a silver medal with his throw of 21.97. Italy's Leonardo Fabbri added bronze to his silver from two years ago in Budapest.

In other results Saturday, the American 4x400 mixed relay team built a lead that not even comeback artist Femke Bol of the Netherlands could overcome.

Bol, who rallied her relay teams to amazing wins in 2023 and 2024,