Randy Barnes of the US eyes his goal during the men's shot put at the Olympic Stadium in Atlanta. (PATRICK HERTZOG/Getty Images)

Shot putters are a misunderstood bunch. They come in all shapes and sizes and don’t always have the chiseled features of javelin or discus throwers but the elite have perfected a method to throw the 16 pound/7kg metal shot distances of 20m or more.

The event has been subjected to accusations of drug use for decades. Randy Barnes of the U.S. set the world record of 23.12m in 1990. Later the same year he tested positive for methyltestosterone, a banned substance, and was suspended. He missed the 1992 Olympic Games but returned to win gold at the 1996 Olympics. Two years later he tested positive for androstenedione and was banned again.

Few athletes have approached the world record in the new millenium. Kevin Toth threw 22.67m in 2003 but was suspended for two years following a doping test for THG.

The 2008 world indoor champion Christian Cantwell has thrown 22.54m and is among those considered the “new breed,” which include a strong contingent of U.S. throwers who regularly fill up the medal positions at major championships.

Natalya Lisovskaya’s women’s world record of 22.63m is even older than Barnes’s, having been set in 1987 when she competed for the former Soviet Union.

Advancing to the final

Competitors must reach an automatic qualifying mark during the qualifying round to advance to the final. At the most recent IAAF world outdoor championships, that mark was 20.20m and only eight throwers reached the distance. The next best four were added to the field for the final. Unlike the other throwing events, the shot put final is held the same day as the qualifying.

Holding the shot against their cheek, most throwers use a spin technique in which they rotate one and a half turns before releasing the implement upwards and out into the landing sector. This builds momentum. At the front of the throwing circle is a toe board which is to help prevent them from stepping across the front of the circle. Throwers must exit the circle from the rear or it is ruled a foul throw.

As with the discus, javelin and hammer throws, competitors in the shot put final throw in order, one throw at a time. They have three throws. At the conclusion of the third “round,” the top eight athletes receive another three throws.

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