About Shot Put

Shot put is a term that describes both a competition held in track and field meets and the piece of equipment used during these events. The shot put itself is a heavy metal ball while the shot put event is the competition between people to see who can propel this ball the farthest. The shot put has been held at the Summer Olympics since they began, and the current world record for the shot put was set in 1990 for the men and in 1987 for the women.

Size

The shot put used by men in the Olympic Games weighs 16 lbs.; the women's shot weighs a little more than half of that at 8.8 lbs. This weight shot put is used at all international events, while at the high school level in the United States the shot put for boys weighs 12 lbs. and the one for the girls remains the same at 8.8 lbs.

Function

Each person competing in the shot put must throw from within a circular area that is 7 feet in diameter. At the front of the circle is a 4-inch-high board that runs along the circle called a toe board. The competitor cannot touch the toe board during a throw. To do so disqualifies the attempt. The rules that govern the shot put are fairly simple. A competitor has a minute to throw once their name is called. They must begin with the shot put rested on their hand close to their neck and keep it there until they release it. The ball must land in a designated area where the ground has been marked off in measurements of either feet or meters.

Types

There are two techniques used to "put the shot" that are commonly used today: the glide and the spin. The glide was introduced in 1951 by American Parry O'Brien, who faced the opposite direction from where he wanted to throw the shot put, turned completely around, and then glided rapidly across the ground before releasing the heavy weight. The spin technique came about in 1976: The competitor spins about as he advances towards the toe board and then uses the momentum gained from this action to release the shot put. With either technique, a good throw hinges on the shot put being released at about a 40-degree angle with as much velocity behind it as the athlete can muster.

Significance

The world record for men in the shot put belongs to American Eric "Randy" Barnes, who recorded a 75 foot 10.2 inch throw in California on May 20, 1990, to beat the old record held by Ulf Timmerman of East Germany. Barnes used the spin technique while Timmerman was a glide thrower. While American men have long had a history of being dominant in the shot put, American women have not. Natalya Lisovskaya of the former Soviet Union is the women's world record holder with a throw of 74.25 feet in 1987. An American woman has never held the world record.

History

The shot put record has come a long way since it was first kept track of. For the women the event wasn't part of track and field until the early 1930s and wasn't an Olympic event until 1948, with the first world record being a 44-foot throw by Grete Heublein of Germany. This is some 30 feet short of the current standard. The men's shot put record in 1909 was a little less than 51 feet, set by Ralph Rose of the United States.