Drake Relays released an announcement earlier this afternoon that gave fans a wealth of new information about the first event of Ryan Crouser’s new World Shot Put Series, set to be held at the 2025 edition of Drake Relays on April 23rd.

Here’s what we know:

- Crouser first hinted at the series on the CITIUS MAG Podcast in September, hoping to create a space for shot put that would bring the sport to “an American audience in a format that makes sense.”

- It was announced that the first event in the series would be held at Drake Relays last week by WHO 13 in Des Moines. At the meet, Crouser will be inducted into the Drake Relays Hall of Fame. The world record holder and three-time Olympic champion won five straight men’s shot put titles at Drake from 2018 to 2023 and holds the meet and facility records.

- Crouser was emphatic that the WSPS would have a unique format when compared to other shot put competitions. According to the press release, it will feature a format more akin to a high jump or pole vault competition, with athletes needing to hit progressively farther marks to move forward in the competition.

- Throwers will have two attempts at each distance, with placement ultimately being determined by who cleared the farthest marks with misses used as a tiebreaker. In the event of a dead heat for the title, throwers will alternate attempts at the final distance.

- Target distances will progress in 10-foot increments up to the 60-foot mark, then increase in 2-foot increments up to the 70-foot mark. Beyond 70 feet, the line will increase by one foot each round.

- There will be two competition groups. First will be the “open field,” which will consist of local collegiate throwers, followed by a professional field that will feature “approximately” eight of the best in the world.

- In an effort to convey familiarity to American audiences, officials for the competition will be dressed in striped shirts, similar to other major sports, and borrow hand signals from football and baseball. The official in the field will use hand signals similar to those for made and missed field goals to declare whether or not the attempt cleared the target distance. In the event of a thrower being eliminated, the official will make a signal similar to the “out” sign in baseball.

- Additionally, they will use chains to determine attempts that are too close to call, similar to the first down chains in American football, and there will also be a challenge system implemented. Each competitor will have a challenge flag that can be used to initiate an extra attempt. If missed, it will count for two misses on the scoresheet, which could have ramifications in tiebreak scenarios.

- Last fall, Crouser said he was aiming for a “soft launch” at a meet this spring with a full rollout set for 2026. There is no word yet on what WSPS may look like beyond this first meet.

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