If you are like me, you have been mourning the end of the Summer Olympics for the past two weeks. It was one of my most anticipated posts on the TV schedule 2024, and that every four years. All THE BEST athletes in the world in one place? It doesn’t get any better than that. Even the Olympians themselves are starstruck. And they all compete with each other, pushing themselves to go beyond what seems possible. But as Olympic gold medalist Ryan Crouser shows in a viral clip, it takes its toll.
During his stay in Paris, US Olympian Ryan Crouser met with the Today ShowAl Roker, Hoda Kotb, Savannah Guthrie and Craig Melvin after his gold medal win in the shot put. He explained to the hosts the phenomenon known as “shot put hand” and I had no idea that could happen, but it makes so much sense.
In the video on X (formerly Twitter), the athlete puts his fists next to each other and, oh my god, his dominant hand is much larger than the other. And no, that’s not something he was born with, it’s pure muscle mass from years of shot put. He even had Al Roker try to push his hand and fingers back and They do not moveThe Olympian explained it to the morning show crew and explained why the shot put has this effect:
16 pounds and nearly 40 miles per hour at your fingertips – that gives you strong fingertips.
Yeah, OK, that makes sense, no wonder you have strong fingertips. I honestly can’t imagine having that much muscle mass in my fingers. It wouldn’t surprise me if he could lift a sofa with one hand like Mr. Incredible.
He says it casually, but then again, he’s used to it. But I’m still amazed. For us normal non-athletes, this is actually totally crazy, and you absolutely have to watch the whole clip:
Olympian Ryan Crouser showed off his so-called “shot put hand” pic.twitter.com/14Jz9qn3SU7 August 2024
I need to see more examples of the “shot put hand” and now wonder what other sports produce abnormal physical phenomena in their athletes.
I’ve noticed the incredible muscles in Olympic athletes before, but I clearly need to look closer. I need more fascinating science sports stories like this one during the LA games in 2028. The next one should debunk what the heck happened during the games. Women’s balance beam final.
Oh, and NBC better pay Snoop Dogg a lot of money to be the unofficial mascot again, because I think everyone will agree that his constant cameo appearances are one of the best parts of the Olympic Games 2024 in Parisand we need more commentary on disciplines such as shot put.
Stories like this one, and this incredible look into the science of sport, are why I love the Olympics so much. The games have everything from emotional victories to physical feats to epic viral reactions, like Simone Biles’ response after the U.S. team won gold. So until the Los Angeles games in 2028, I guess I’ll have to make do with rewatching the highlights and learning things like “shot put hand.”
