The 2025 track and field season was pretty quiet for Ryan Crouser, the shot put star of the sport. Dealing with a tough throwing elbow injury that came with arthritis, bone spurs, and a weakened joint capsule, the three-time Olympic champion was facing the scary thought that his career could be coming to an end.

For an athlete who had been on top of their game in the circle for almost ten years, this was a whole new experience. Crouser admitted that the injury was so bad that the focus changed from getting back to competing to just making sure he could have a working elbow for the rest of his life. He had to sit out the whole Diamond League circuit and all the big competitions, which left a huge gap in the men’s shot put scene and raised a lot of questions about whether he’ll be able to compete in the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.

He hadn’t competed in almost a whole year, with his last event being back in September 2024. So, Crouser’s performance in Tokyo was summed up by 3x NCAA All-American Katelyn Hutchison on X, who said, “Did Ryan Crouser just open and close his season at the world championships with a gold medal…”

This wasn’t just a comeback; it was something totally extraordinary in the world of sports. Ryan Crouser did disappear from the sport for nine months, completely dropping out of competition.

Then, on the morning of September 13th in Tokyo, he made a comeback for the qualifying round—his first official throw of 2025, as the round started around 10:55 (local time). He kicked off his season in style and wrapped it up just hours later by clinching his third consecutive world title in the final that started at 21:10 local time, with an impressive throw of 22.34 meters. He became the only athlete to break the 22-meter barrier that night. So yes, somewhere over approximately 12 hours long of a season, Crouser defended his World shot put title.

The American athlete packed a whole year of dreams, hard work, and stress into a few throws, nailing a flawless competitive record for the year: one event, one gold medal. In light of this, how did he feel afterwards?

Ryan Crouser did the unthinkable

This victory was a masterclass in managing immense pressure and overcoming a crippling lack of competitive reps. Post-match, Ryan Crouser shared that he wasn’t quite in his usual groove with the implement, saying, “A lot of times when I’m throwing, I know exactly how far it’s going. Tonight, I didn’t really have that feeling.”

Still, his championship experience shone through. He kept getting better with every throw in the final, starting off with 21.41m, then hitting 21.99m, and finally nailing the winning throw of 22.34m on his fifth attempt, which secured the victory against competitors like Italy’s Leonardo Fabbri and New Zealand’s Tom Walsh.

By doing that, he tied his three Olympic golds with a third world title, putting him in an exclusive club of American legends who have six combined global outdoor titles.

Winning in Tokyo, a place where he had already set an Olympic record, Crouser didn’t just snag another medal; he wrote one of the most impressive and resilient stories in track and field history, showing that his dominance could last even after being away from the sport for so long.