World record holder Ryan Crouser from the USA has cleared the next bullet gold at the World Championships in Athletics. The two-time Olympic champion and defending champion had to have two blood clots removed from his lower leg shortly before the flight to Budapest.
Crouser sank to his knees and stretched both arms into the Budapest sky: At 23.51 m, the 30-year-old was once again unbeatable, and no athlete has ever shot further at the World Championships. His last shot missed his own world record by just two inches.
That was hard work. The last few days have been very difficult and with everything that has happened it has been a phenomenal push.
The Italian Leonardo Fabbri surprisingly secured silver with a personal best of 22.34 m, bronze went to ex-world champion Joe Kovacs (22.12/USA). German shot putters were not there.
“The most stressful days of my life”
“The last 20 days have been among the most frustrating and stressful of my life,” Crouser said on social media on Friday. He suddenly felt pain in his leg, and the “relatively small blood clots” were found during an ultrasound examination. In order not to take any medical risks, the American took blood thinners.