How heavy is the metal ball used in men's shot put and women’s shot put at the Olympics?
The metal ball used in shot put events at the Olympics varies in weight for men and women. The male shot putter carries a ball weighing 7.26kg/16lbs, while the women athletes have to bear a load of 4kg/8.8lbs.
Shot put comes under one of the four throwing events in track and field at the Games, having been part of the programme since 1896 Olympics in Athens. Interestingly, the women athletes were only eligible to participate since the 1948 Olympics in Berlin.
The game revolves around sending the metal balls as far as possible to win the contest. Nowadays, the ball is manufactured from iron or brass, while the shot put events in 1896 were played with a ball made by lead.
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) puts out the official guidelines for the shot put balls. The athletes use the glide or the spin technique to send the balls to far distance. Moreover, the participants need to rest the balls at their neck, and cannot drop it below their shoulder.
What transpired in the shot put events at Tokyo Olympics?
USA's Ryan Crouser secured a gold medal in the men's shot put event in the Tokyo Olympics with a throw of 23.30m. The silver medal was won by USA's Joe Kovacs (22.65m) and Tomas Walsh emerged as the bronze medalist with 22.47m.
India's Tajinderpal Singh Toor had a disappointing outing, as his best attempt of 19.99m, placed him in the 13th place out of 16 in his group. Only a total of 12 top performers across two qualifying groups were eligible to participate in the final round of the event. The 29-year-old, who currently holds a national record with 21.77m, will look to come up with an improved performance this time.
Meanwhile, the women's shot put events witnessed China's Lijiao Gong (20.58m) winning the gold medal, while Raven Saunders (19.79m) and New Zealand's Valerie Adams (19.62m) secured a silver and bronze medal, respectively.