If you are anything like me, you have been mourning the end of the Summer Olympics for the past two weeks. It was one of my most anticipated items on the 2024 TV schedule, and that's the case every four years. All THE BEST athletes in the world in one place? It doesn't get better than that. Even the Olympians themselves are starstruck. And they’re all competing against each other, pushing themselves to go beyond what seems possible. However, as shown by Olympic Gold Medalist Ryan Crouser in a viral clip, it does take a toll.
While in Paris, U.S. Olympian Ryan Crouser sat down with the Today Show’s Al Roker, Hoda Kotb, Savannah Guthrie, and Craig Melvin following his gold medal win in shot put. He explained to the hosts the phenomenon known as ‘Shot Put Hand,’ and I had no idea this could happen, but it makes so much sense.
In the video on X (formerly Twitter) the track and field athlete puts his fists side by side and, oh my god his dominant hand is way bigger than the other. And no, it’s not something he was born with, it’s pure muscle from years and years of throwing shot put. He even had Al Roker try to push his hand and fingers back and they don't move. The Olympian broke it down for the morning show gang, explaining why the shot put has this effect:
Sixteen pounds, going almost 40 miles per hour off the fingertips, you get strong fingertips.
Yeah, OK that makes sense, no wonder you get strong fingertips. I honestly can’t even imagine having that much muscle in my fingers. I wouldn’t be surprised if he could lift a couch with one hand like Mr. Incredible.
He says it so casually too, but then again, he’s very much used to this. But I’m still baffled. For us everyday non-athletes, it’s actually so crazy to see, and you absolutely need to watch the full clip:
Olympian Ryan Crouser showed off what's known as "shot put hand" pic.twitter.com/14Jz9qn3SUAugust 7, 2024
I need to see more examples of ‘shot put hand,' and now I’m left wondering what other sports create abnormal physical phenomena on their athletes.
I’ve noticed the insane muscles on Olympic athletes before, but clearly, I need to pay closer attention. I’m gonna need more fascinating scientific sports stories like this during LA's games in 2028. The next one should be debunking what the heck happened during the women’s balance beam final.
Oh, and NBC better pay Snoop Dogg a ton of money to be the unofficial mascot again, because I think everyone can agree, his constant cameos were one of the best parts of the 2024 Paris Olympics, and we need more commentary on events like shot put.
Stories like these and this incredible insight into the science of sports are why I love the Olympics so much. The games bring everything from emotional wins to physical feats to epic viral reactions, like Simone Biles clap back after Team U.SA.’s gold medal win. So until the Los Angeles games in 2028, I guess I’ll have to settle for rewatching highlights and learning about things like "shot put hand."
