This Shot put king is done staying polite. While sprinters break records and stadiums fill up, the two-time Olympic champ is sounding the alarm on a problem fans rarely notice—but athletes live with every day. In a sport where even the eighth-best in the world gets trashed for not winning, Crouser says the system is broken. His fix? It involves a heavy ball and some humbled spectators.

With Quincy Wilson, Gout Gout, and other sprinting sensations coming up, track and field is constantly growing, working on its shortcomings one by one. From Olympic legend Michael Johnson launching a completely different track league to Alexis Ohanian and Ryan Crouser taking it up a notch by helping put field events on the map, the sport has come a long way. And sadly, this harsh reality that 3x Olympic Gold Medalist Shot Putter Ryan Crouser put in front of the world.

The Diamond League just wrapped up with its 5th stop in Rabat, GST’s third instalment is right around the corner, and countless competitions are happening every other day. Whoever comes first takes the medal home, and whoever comes last ends up taking heat for not doing a well enough job. All of it is just part and parcel of the game. But does that mean we, as fans, forget that who came last is still one of the best in the sport?

Looking at it from a bigger perspective, Ryan Crouser, in this week’s episode of The Athlete’s Lounge, ended up voicing his frustrations and revealing the current scenario of the sport. When asked about the biggest thing that track and field does poorly, the champion, without missing a beat, said, “We do such a poor job of conveying that we’re the best in the world at what we do.” Giving an example of how, in the Diamond League, Crouser said that the best eight people line up against each other, an average track and field fan who does not understand the sport better ends up calling out the athlete who came last, all while praising the one who came first.

However, this should not be the way fans see the sport. After revealing the sad reality, the gold medalist also offered a solution to help change the current scenario. “So we do an open ring, let people pick up a 16 pound ball, try and throw it. 20 feet is good. Most people can’t get 20 feet, and then 30 feet is exceptional. And so we, and we have a over underline, you throw over the line, you advance at 60 feet. And so people come out and they see a 60-foot throw and their jaws drop.,” says the Olympic star.

But is it the right way to help understand how every athlete in any of the competitions is there after putting their blood, sweat, and tears into it? Surely, if an open ring like this happens, fans would understand that for an average shotputter, 60 feet is nowhere near as good. But for an average person, it’s three times faster than they can throw. Now, do you think that after creating his own world shot put series, Ryan Crouser would eventually end up making his own open ring to help erase this dark reality from the sport?

How did Ryan Crouser’s World Shot Put Series go?

“You’re ruining the sport”, long jumper Tara Davis-Woodhall had said when Michael Johnson opened up about his inability to save the field part in track and field. Visibly frustrated with the opinion, the gold medalist did not hold back in reverting. However, within 3 months of Johnson announcing his $30 million track league, Crouser announced his very own World Shot Put Series in September 2024.

Doing his bit, however small it may be, the series made its soft launch during the Drake Relays on April 23rd. And it’s coming back on a large scale in 2026. While the event might not have been recognized by World Athletics yet, it sure did give fans a nice dose of hefty entertainment. With nine of the best shot putters in the world present, world indoor medalist Roger Steen was the one who took the title home. He did so with a throw beyond 74 feet, which, well, let’s just say, would have created another personal best for him. But Crouser’s Shot Put series is not the only one putting field events on the map. Tara Davis-Woodhall is leading Athlos’ NYC in October to show what field events are worth.

Be on the lookout, as Athlos and World Shot Put Series might just be the start of an era where field events might just lead.