How Golf and Physics Are Raising the Limits in Shot-Put

Ryan Crouser at the U.S. track and field trials in June. He holds the world record in the shot-put.Don’t miss a moment at the Paris Olympics. Sign up for our daily email to receive the biggest highlights, the latest medal count and the stories you won't see on TV.

Imagine standing at the free-throw line on one side of a basketball court and heaving a 16-pound metal ball through the net at the other end.

That still would not cover the astonishing world-record distance of 77 feet 3 ¾ inches (23.56 meters) that the shot-putter Ryan Crouser has achieved. On Saturday, despite being limited this season by nerve damage in his right elbow, on his throwing arm, and a torn pectoral muscle, he will try…