Two-time Olympic champion Ryan Crouser demolished his own shot put world record on Saturday, throwing for 23.56m at the Los Angeles Grand Prix.
The American surpassed his previous mark of 23.37m, which he achieved at the US Olympic trials at Eugene, Oregon in June 2021, leaving second-placed Kiwi Tom Walsh among those in his dust.
Twice Olympic bronze medallist Walsh produced a season-best throw of 22.12m to clinch silver, while American Payton Otterdahl was third with 21.99m.
The throw was Walsh's best since his gold-medalwinning effort at last year's Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
Crouser is the only man ever to throw further than 23.50m and he punched the air, as he sent one ricocheting off the back barrier, reaching the milestone on his fourth attempt at the Continental Tour Gold event.
"I'm still on high volume [training], heavy throws in the ring and heavy weights in the weight room, so we're just starting to work in some speed," Crouser told NBC.
He put the field on notice with opening attempts of 23.23m and 23.31m, which also counted among the top six furthest attempts produced in the event.
It was an auspicious performance for the 30-year-old, who has been working on a new throwing technique this year, with the world championships less than three months away at Budapest.
Reuters/Newshub
