After conquering his sport, three-time consecutive Olympic shot put champion Ryan Crouser has big dreams. Crouser completed his gold medal hat trick in Paris, and his goals are no longer personal. Instead, the 31-year-old hopes to bring more eyes to shot-putting by launching multiple new events in 2025 and 2026.

Following Michael Johnson’s footsteps, whose Grand Slam Track starts next year, Crouser plans to launch his own league next year. “Ryan Crouser is planning on launching an ‘American Shot Put League’, with a soft launch in 2025 & a full rollout in 2026.” Throwers Universe reported on X. However, the Olympian isn’t stopping there, as he hopes to capture a different fan base.

“My goal is to get shot put in the Arnold Classic, all the strongman competitions, to start featuring us,” expressed the shot put legend. Besides starting a league, the shot put legend hopes to capture an audience outside the traditional track and field enthusiast. Ryan Crouser plans to leverage the strength aspect of throwing to popularize the sport among bodybuilding, powerlifting, and strongman enthusiasts.

This could be a genius move the Arnold Classic is not your traditional bodybuilding show. Co-founded by five-time Mr. Universe winner and Hollywood icon Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Arnold Classic is part of the larger Arnold Sports Festival. This three-day annual festival celebrated various strength-based sports, including the Arnold Strongman Classic.

Although strongman contests do not feature shot put, they feature throwing events such as the overhead keg and sandbag toss. The 2023 World’s Strongest Man contest even introduced Kettlebell throws. Since Schwarzenegger is always looking to make the Arnold Classic even more prestigious, he may jump at the opportunity to collaborate with the Olympic champion.

While expansion is essential to a sport’s growth, why does Ryan Crouse want to do it now? Why does he want to diversify the audience? Well, there may not be a singular reason behind his plans, but several.

What motivated Ryan Crouser to set these lofty goals?

U.S. Olympic legend Michael Johnson started Grand Slam Track “to promote the sport’s biggest stars and draw new audiences through unique storytelling.” Recently, Serena Willams’ husband and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian also invested in women’s track and field with Athlos. Just like the Grand Slam, Athlos NYC promises to be a unique event focusing on the athletes.

The 31-year-old defending world champion hopes to do the same for his discipline. With his American Shot Put League, Ryan Crouser hopes to provide athletes with yet another avenue to compete and earn more money. While sprinters like Noah Lyles have multimillion-dollar sponsorship deals, shot put doesn’t enjoy the same hype or glam factor.

This is why Crouser hopes to collaborate with the Arnold Classic. Besides being one of the biggest annual sports festivals in the world, the Arnold Classic is constantly raising prize money for competing athletes. At this year’s Arnold Classic, 77-year-old Schwarzenegger announced next year the event will feature the biggest purse in bodybuilding history.

The 2025 Arnold Classic chap will earn $500,000, surpassing the $400,000 prize money for Mr. Olympia. Hence, Ryan Coruses hopes to capitalize on the recent buzz surrounding track and field while exploring a new horizon with the Arnold Strongman Classic. Only time will tell if he succeeds.