Ryan Keith Whiting (born November 24, 1986) is an American

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

coach and retired athlete who competed in

shot put The shot put is a track-and-field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical Ball (sports), ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. For men, the sport has been a part of the Olympic Games, modern Olympics since their 1896 Summer Olym ...

. His biggest international success as an athlete was first place at the 2012 World Indoor Championships. He represented the United States at the

2011 World Championships in Athletics The 13th IAAF World Championships in Athletics () was an international athletics competition that was held in Daegu, South Korea. It started on 27 August 2011 and finished on 4 September 2011. The United States topped the medal standings in the ...

2013 World Championships in Athletics The 14th IAAF World Championships in Athletics (Moscow 2013; ) was an international athletics (sport), athletics competition held in Moscow, Russia, from 10 to 18 August 2013. Initially, Russia at the 2013 World Championships in Athletics, Russia ...

2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships The 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics was the fifteenth edition of the international indoor track and field competition, organised by the IAAF. The event was held between 7–9 March 2014 at the Ergo Arena in Sopot, Poland. Prepar ...

and the

2012 London Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

. He competed for the

Arizona State Sun Devils The Arizona State Sun Devils are the sport, athletic teams that represent Arizona State University. ASU has nine men's and eleven women's Varsity team, varsity teams competing at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Divisi ...

collegiately and won six

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

titles while there. His throw of to win the 2008 NCAA Indoor title is the best mark by a college student indoors. He was the 2011, 2013, and 2014 American indoor champion.

Early life and career

Ryan Whiting was born in

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg ( ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,099 as of 2020, Harrisburg is the ninth-most populous city in Pennsylvania. It is the larger of the two pr ...

, the son of Kent and Jill Whiting. Whiting attended

Central Dauphin High School Central Dauphin High School is a public high school located in Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, it is one of two high schools in the Central Dauphin School District, and the first built in the school district. In the 2017–18 school ye ...

and started competing in shot put and

discus throw The discus throw (), also known as disc throw, is a track and field sport in which the participant athlete throws an oblate spheroid weight (object), weight called a discus in an attempt to mark a further distance than other competitors. It is a ...

events as a teenager.Ryan Whiting
. Sun Devils. Retrieved on 2013-02-23. Whiting made his international debut at the

2005 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships The 13th Pan American Junior Athletics Championships were held in Windsor, Ontario Windsor ( ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is situated on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from the U.S city of Detroit, Det ...

, where he won both events with personal record marks. He was chosen as the Gatorade Male Track and Field Athlete of the year, ranking him as the top American high school track-and-fielder. Entering the senior ranks, he cleared 19 metres in the shot put for the first time at the

USA Indoor Track and Field Championships The USA Indoor Track and Field Championships is an annual indoor track and field competition organized by USA Track & Field, which serves as the American national championships for the sport. In years which feature a World Indoor Championships i ...

, placing eighth with a throw of 19.36 m. By the end of the season he had improved his personal records to for the shot and for the discus. He started a majoring in

civil engineering Civil engineering is a regulation and licensure in engineering, professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads ...

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...

in 2006 and began competing athletically for the

in 2007. In his first indoor season for the team he raised the school record to to take third in the shot at the

NCAA Men's Indoor Track and Field Championship The NCAA Men's Indoor Track and Field Championship refers to one of three annual collegiate indoor track and field competitions for men organised by the National Collegiate Athletic Association for athletes from institutions that make up its three ...

. Outdoors he was third at the Pac-10 championships and fourth at the

NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship The NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship refers to one of three annual collegiate outdoor track and field competitions for men organised by the National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association ...

. He improved his overall best in the shot to .

NCAA titles

Whiting was much improved in his second season for the Sun Devils and secured the NCAA Indoor title in the shot put with a throw of – this was an American collegiate indoor record and raised him to thirteenth on the all-time indoor lists. He threw a personal record of for the discus in March.Ryan Whiting
IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-02-23. He did not bring his indoor form to the outdoor season and was runner-up in the shot at both the Pac-10 and NCAA outdoor championships. He also ranked top ten in the discus at the NCAA meet and placed sixth in the shot put at the

USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships The USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships is an annual track and field competition organized by USA Track & Field, which serves as the American national championships for the sport. Since the year 1992, in the years which feature a Summer Oly ...

. He performed well at the season-ending

2008 NACAC Under-23 Championships in Athletics The 5th NACAC Under-23 Championships in Athletics were held in Toluca, Mexico, at the Estadio Universitario Alberto Chivo Cordova, Alberto "Chivo" Córdova Stadium at the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México on July 18–20, 2008. A detail ...

, taking the shot put gold and discus silver medals. In his third year of competition for Arizona State, he was dominant in collegiate events. He defended his NCAA Indoor shot put title with a throw of . He had a string of victories outdoors, taking the Pac-10, NCAA West, and NCAA Outdoor titles. His throw of at the NCAA West Regionals was his best outdoors and a school record. He also qualified for the NCAA finals in the discus throw and finished as runner-up by a narrow margin. He again was ranked top ten in the shot put at the USA national championships. In his final season for the Sun Devils he won a third NCAA indoor title with a throw of 21.52 m. He swept the Pac-10 outdoor shot put and discus throw titles before going on to claim the same double at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. In winning the shot put title, he threw a mark of – a personal record and three centimetres off the overall collegiate record of 22 metres held by

John Godina John Carl Godina (born May 31, 1972) is an American shot putter, whose record includes three World Championship wins and two Olympic medals. He also competes in discus. Godina was born in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Early life While attending Cheye ...

.ASU's Ryan Whiting Named Pac-10 Men's Co-Field Athlete of the Year
Sun Devils (2010-06-21). Retrieved on 2013-02-23. Over the course of his four years competing for Arizona State University, he earned nine NCAA

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

n honours and six NCAA titles (three indoor shot put, two outdoor shot put, one discus). The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association selected him as the American indoor performer of the year for 2008. In addition, he excelled off the field with his studies: he was twice chosen for the second team of the

Academic All-America The Academic All-America program is a student-athlete recognition program. The program selects an honorary sports team composed of the most outstanding student-athletes of a specific season for positions in various sports—who in turn are give ...

student-athlete Student athlete (or student–athlete) is a term used principally in universities in the United States and Canada to describe students enrolled at postsecondary educational institutions, principally colleges and universities, but also at sec ...

program and received a number of Pac-10 and USTFCCCA All-Academic honours.

Professional career

Whiting signed up with

Nike Inc. Nike, Inc. (stylized as ''NIKE'') is an American athletic footwear and apparel corporation headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon. It is the world's largest supplier of athletic shoes and apparel and a major manufacturer of sports equipment, ...

in 2010, while still at Arizona State, and began to compete on the American

circuit that year.Biography
Ryan Whiting USA. Retrieved on 2013-02-23. He was runner-up to

Christian Cantwell Christian Cantwell (born September 30, 1980) is a World Champion American shot putter. He won a silver medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics and placed 4th at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Biography Cantwell was born in Jefferson City, Missouri. He gr ...

at the 2010 USA Indoor Championships and placed fifth at the USA Outdoors. Following his graduation from Arizona State in 2010, he began to focus on shot putting full-time. Returning to his native Pennsylvania, Whiting became a volunteer coach on the

Penn State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...

track and field staff. He secured his first national title at the 2011 USA Indoor Championships, easily beating second-placed

Dan Taylor Daniel, Dan, or Danny Taylor may refer to: Sportspeople *Dan Taylor (shot putter) (born 1982), American shot putter *Dan Taylor (cricketer) (1887–1957), South African cricketer *Dan Taylor (footballer, born 1993), English footballer *Dan Taylor ( ...

. He came fourth at the

2011 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships The 2011 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships were held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. Organised by USA Track and Field, the four-day competition took place from June 23–26 and served as the national championships in track and field f ...

, but because Cantwell automatically entered as defending champion, Whiting still gained a spot for the

. On his global debut, he came seventh in the men's shot put final. He also performed well on the

IAAF Diamond League The Diamond League is an annual series of elite track and field athletic competitions comprising fifteen invitational athletics meetings. The series sits in the top tier of the World Athletics one-day meet competitions. The inaugural season was ...

circuit, having top three finishes on the

Doha Doha ( ) is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor (city), Al Khor and Lusail, it is home to most of the country's population. It ...

Lausanne Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...

and

Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

legs in 2011. In 2012, Ryan was USA indoor runner-up. He established his place among the world's top throwers with a win at the

2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships The 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics was the 14th edition of the global-level indoor track and field competition and was held between March 9–11, 2012 at the Ataköy Athletics Arena in Istanbul, Turkey. It was the first of fo ...

, winning the

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have b ...

with a throw of . He did not match this form outdoors that year, but still managed a number of podium finishes on the

2011 IAAF Diamond League The 2011 IAAF Diamond League (also known as the 2011 Samsung Diamond League for sponsorship purposes) was the second edition of the Diamond League, an annual series of fourteen one-day track and field meetings. The series began on 6 May in Doha, Q ...

circuit (

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

and Zürich). His best outdoor throw of the year came at the 2012 United States Olympic Trials, where his mark of 21.66 m brought him second place behind

Reese Hoffa Michael Reese Hoffa (born ''Maurice Antawn Chism''; October 8, 1977 in Evans, Georgia) is an American shot putter. Reese won the shot put in the 2006 World Indoor Track and Field Championships and in the 2007 World Outdoor Championships. He also ...

. Representing the

United States at the Olympics The United States of America has sent athletes to every celebration of the modern Olympic Games with the exception of the 1980 Summer Olympics, during which it led a boycott in protest of the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. The United ...

for the first time, he reached his second outdoor global final, this time placing ninth with a mark of 20.64 m. Whiting finished 1st in the Shot Put on 7 March 2014 at the

Personal life

He has two brothers, Evan and Ross. He married his wife, Ashley, in 2011.

Major competition record

Personal bests

*All information taken from IAAF profile.

References

External links

Official website
* *

USATF USA Track & Field (USATF) is a United States national governing body for the sports of track and field, cross country running, road running, and racewalking (known as the sport of athletics outside the US). The USATF was known between 1979 and 1 ...

profile fo
Ryan Whiting
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whiting, Ryan 1986 births Living people American male shot putters Sportspeople from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Track and field athletes from Pennsylvania Arizona State Sun Devils men's track and field athletes Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics Olympic track and field athletes for the United States Diamond League winners USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners USA Indoor Track and Field Championships winners World Athletics Indoor Championships winners NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships winners 21st-century American sportsmen