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Athletics at the 1968 Summer Olympics – Men's shot put

{{Infobox Olympic event

|event = Men's shot put

|games = 1968 Summer

|venue = Estadio Olímpico Universitario

|image = File:Randy Matson 1968.jpg

|image_size = 200px

|caption = Randy Matson

|dates = October 13–14, 1968

|competitors = 19

|nations = 14

|gold = Randy Matson

|goldNOC = USA

|silver = George Woods

|silverNOC = USA

|bronze = Eduard Gushchin

|bronzeNOC = URS

|win_label = Winning distance

|win_value = 20.54

|prev = 1964

|next = 1972

}}

{{AthleticsAt1968SummerOlympics}}

The men's shot put competition at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, Mexico took place on October 13–14.{{cite web |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1968/ATH/mens-shot-put.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417174524/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1968/ATH/mens-shot-put.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 April 2020 |title=Athletics at the 1968 Mexico City Summer Games: Men's Shot Put |access-date=7 January 2018 |work=sports-reference.com}} Nineteen athletes from 14 nations competed. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was wo by Randy Matson of the United States, the nation's sixth consecutive and 14th overall victory in the men's shot put. His teammate George Woods took silver, making 1968 the sixth straight Games the Americans had finished one-two. Matson was the seventh man to win two medals in the event (adding to his 1964 silver); Woods would become the eighth in 1972. Eduard Gushchin took bronze, the Soviet Union's first men's shot put medal.

Background

This was the 16th appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. Returning finalists from the 1964 Games were silver medalist Randy Matson of the United States, bronze medalist Vilmos Varju of Hungary, seventh-place finisher Les Mills of New Zealand, ninth-place finisher Władysław Komar of Poland, and twelfth-place finisher Dieter Hoffmann of the United Team of Germany (now competing for East Germany). Matson had been the best shot putter in the world since the 1964 Games, breaking the world record twice.{{cite web |url=https://www.olympedia.org/results/60746 |work=Olympedia |title=Shot Put, Men |access-date=18 October 2020}}

El Salvador and Nicaragua each made their debut in the men's shot put; East Germany and West Germany competed separately for the first time. The United States appeared for the 16th time, the only nation to have competed in all Olympic shot put competitions to date.

Competition format

The competition consisted of two rounds, qualification and final. Each athlete received three throws in the qualifying round. All who achieved the qualifying distance of 18.90 metres progressed to the final. If fewer than twelve athletes achieved this mark, then the twelve furthest throwing athletes reached the final. Each finalist was allowed three throws in last round, with the top eight athletes after that point being given three further attempts.

Records

Prior to the competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.

{{World Olympic Record

| world_athlete = {{flagathlete|Randy Matson|USA}}

| world_mark = 21.78

| world_place = College Station, United States

| world_date = 23 April 1967

| olympic_athlete = {{flagIOCathlete|Dallas Long|USA|1964 Summer}}

| olympic_mark = 20.33

| olympic_place = Tokyo, Japan

| olympic_date = 17 October 1964

}}

Randy Matson broke the Olympic record with a throw of 20.68 metres in the qualifying round. Nobody, including Matson, was able to surpass that mark in the final.

Schedule

All times are Central Standard Time (UTC-6)

class="wikitable"

! Date

! Time

! Round

Sunday, 13 October 196810:00Qualifying
style=background:lemonchiffon

| Monday, 14 October 1968

15:30Final

Results

=Qualifying round=

Qual. rule: qualification standard 18.90m (Q) or at least best 12 qualified (q).

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"

! Rank !! Group !! Athlete !! Nation !! 1 !! 2 !! 3 !! Distance !! Notes

bgcolor=bbf3bb

| 1

Aalign=left|{{Sortname|Randy|Matson}}align=left|{{flagIOC|USA|1968 Summer}}

| 20.68

data-sort-value=1.00| —data-sort-value=1.00| —20.68{{abbr|Q|Qualified for final by distance}}, {{OlyR|athletics}}
bgcolor=bbf3bb

| 2

Aalign=left|{{Sortname|Eduard|Gushchin}}align=left|{{flagIOC|URS|1968 Summer}}

| 19.88

data-sort-value=1.00| —data-sort-value=1.00| —19.88{{abbr|Q|Qualified for final by distance}}
bgcolor=bbf3bb

| 3

Aalign=left|{{Sortname|George|Woods|George Woods (athlete)}}align=left|{{flagIOC|USA|1968 Summer}}

| 19.79

data-sort-value=1.00| —data-sort-value=1.00| —19.79{{abbr|Q|Qualified for final by distance}}
bgcolor=bbf3bb

| 4

Aalign=left|{{Sortname|Dieter|Hoffmann}}align=left|{{flagIOC|GDR|1968 Summer}}

| 18.30

19.75data-sort-value=1.00| —19.75{{abbr|Q|Qualified for final by distance}}
bgcolor=bbf3bb

| 5

Balign=left|{{Sortname|Pierre|Colnard}}align=left|{{flagIOC|FRA|1968 Summer}}

| 19.57

data-sort-value=1.00| —data-sort-value=1.00| —19.57{{abbr|Q|Qualified for final by distance}}
bgcolor=bbf3bb

| 6

Aalign=left|{{Sortname|Heinfried|Birlenbach}}align=left|{{flagIOC|FRG|1968 Summer}}

| 19.43

data-sort-value=1.00| —data-sort-value=1.00| —19.43{{abbr|Q|Qualified for final by distance}}
bgcolor=bbf3bb

| 7

Aalign=left|{{Sortname|Dave|Maggard}}align=left|{{flagIOC|USA|1968 Summer}}

| 18.73

19.26data-sort-value=1.00| —19.26{{abbr|Q|Qualified for final by distance}}
bgcolor=bbf3bb

| 8

Aalign=left|{{Sortname|Uwe|Grabe}}align=left|{{flagIOC|GDR|1968 Summer}}

| 18.08

18.5919.1519.15{{abbr|Q|Qualified for final by distance}}
bgcolor=bbf3bb

| 9

Aalign=left|{{Sortname|Władysław|Komar}}align=left|{{flagIOC|POL|1968 Summer}}

| 19.09

data-sort-value=1.00| —data-sort-value=1.00| —19.09{{abbr|Q|Qualified for final by distance}}
bgcolor=bbf3bb

| 10

Aalign=left|{{Sortname|Traugott|Glöckler}}align=left|{{flagIOC|FRG|1968 Summer}}

| 18.89

19.08data-sort-value=1.00| —19.08{{abbr|Q|Qualified for final by distance}}
bgcolor=bbf3bb

| 11

Balign=left|{{Sortname|Les|Mills}}align=left|{{flagIOC|NZL|1968 Summer}}

| 18.56

19.00data-sort-value=1.00| —19.00{{abbr|Q|Qualified for final by distance}}
bgcolor=ccf9cc

| 12

Balign=left|{{Sortname|Jeff|Teale}}align=left|{{flagIOC|GBR|1968 Summer}}

| 18.76

data-sort-value=1.00| X18.8718.87{{abbr|q|Qualified for final by place}}
13Aalign=left|{{Sortname|Vilmos|Varjú}}align=left|{{flagIOC|HUN|1968 Summer}}

| 18.69

data-sort-value=1.00| X18.8618.86
14Balign=left|{{Sortname|Arnjolt|Beer}}align=left|{{flagIOC|FRA|1968 Summer}}

| 18.72

data-sort-value=1.00| Xdata-sort-value=1.00| X18.72
15Balign=left|{{Sortname|Edy|Hubacher|Edy Hubacher (shot putter)}}align=left|{{flagIOC|SUI|1968 Summer}}

| 18.54

18.38data-sort-value=1.00| X18.54
16Balign=left|{{Sortname|Guðmundur|Hermannsson}}align=left|{{flagIOC|ISL|1968 Summer}}

| 16.24

16.7717.3517.35
17Balign=left|{{Sortname|Georgios|Lemonis}}align=left|{{flagIOC|GRE|1968 Summer}}

| 16.43

data-sort-value=1.00| Xdata-sort-value=1.00| X16.43
18Balign=left|{{Sortname|Rolando|Mendoza|Rolando Mendoza (athlete)}}align=left|{{flagIOC|NCA|1968 Summer}}

| 11.39

13.3313.3213.33
19Balign=left|{{Sortname|Mauricio|Jubis}}align=left|{{flagIOC|ESA|1968 Summer}}

| 12.04

12.4612.9212.92
rowspan=5 data-sort-value-20| —

| B

align=left| Lahcen Samsam Akkaalign=left| {{flagIOC|MAR|1968 Summer}}colspan=4 data-sort-value=0.00| {{abbr|DNS|Did not start}}
Balign=left| Ricky Bruchalign=left| {{flagIOC|SWE|1968 Summer}}colspan=4 data-sort-value=0.00| {{abbr|DNS|Did not start}}
Balign=left| Jalal Keshmirialign=left| {{flagIOC|IRI|1968 Summer}}colspan=4 data-sort-value=0.00| {{abbr|DNS|Did not start}}
Aalign=left| Dieter Prolliusalign=left| {{flagIOC|GDR|1968 Summer}}colspan=4 data-sort-value=0.00| {{abbr|DNS|Did not start}}
Aalign=left| George Pucealign=left| {{flagIOC|CAN|1968 Summer}}colspan=4 data-sort-value=0.00| {{abbr|DNS|Did not start}}

=Final=

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"

! Rank !! Athlete !! Nation !! 1 !! 2 !! 3 !! 4 !! 5 !! 6 !! Distance

{{Gold01}}align=left|{{Sortname|Randy|Matson}}align=left|{{flagIOC|USA|1968 Summer}}

| 20.54

20.0918.6720.1520.0220.1820.54
{{Silver02}}align=left|{{Sortname|George|Woods|George Woods (athlete)}}align=left|{{flagIOC|USA|1968 Summer}}

| 20.12

data-sort-value=1.00| Xdata-sort-value=1.00| X–19.19data-sort-value=1.00| X20.12
{{Bronze03}}align=left|{{Sortname|Eduard|Gushchin}}align=left|{{flagIOC|URS|1968 Summer}}

| 20.09

19.4519.69data-sort-value=1.00| Xdata-sort-value=1.00| X19.4120.09
4align=left|{{Sortname|Dieter|Hoffmann}}align=left|{{flagIOC|GDR|1968 Summer}}

| 20.00

19.3319.7519.6819.8519.8620.00
5align=left|{{Sortname|Dave|Maggard}}align=left|{{flagIOC|USA|1968 Summer}}

| 19.43

19.3319.7519.6819.8519.8619.43
6align=left|{{Sortname|Władysław|Komar}}align=left|{{flagIOC|POL|1968 Summer}}

| 18.66

19.2818.54data-sort-value=1.00| Xdata-sort-value=1.00| X19.2119.28
7align=left|{{Sortname|Uwe|Grabe}}align=left|{{flagIOC|GDR|1968 Summer}}

| 18.20

18.7419.0317.4317.6618.3419.03
8align=left|{{Sortname|Heinfried|Birlenbach}}align=left|{{flagIOC|FRG|1968 Summer}}

| 18.80

18.48data-sort-value=1.00| X18.1318.67data-sort-value=1.00| X18.80
9align=left|{{Sortname|Pierre|Colnard}}align=left|{{flagIOC|FRA|1968 Summer}}

| 18.62

data-sort-value=1.00| X18.79colspan=3 data-sort-value=0.00| Did not advance18.79
10align=left|{{Sortname|Jeff|Teale}}align=left|{{flagIOC|GBR|1968 Summer}}

| 18.65

18.5718.60colspan=3 data-sort-value=0.00| Did not advance18.65
11align=left|{{Sortname|Les|Mills}}align=left|{{flagIOC|NZL|1968 Summer}}

| 18.18

18.0117.95colspan=3 data-sort-value=0.00| Did not advance18.18
12align=left|{{Sortname|Traugott|Glöckler}}align=left|{{flagIOC|FRG|1968 Summer}}

|data-sort-value=1.00| X

17.2018.14colspan=3 data-sort-value=0.00| Did not advance18.14

References

{{reflist}}

External links

  • [http://la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1968/1968v3.pdf Official Olympic Report]{{Dead link|date=February 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, la84foundation.org. Retrieved August 13, 2012.

{{OlympicsShotPut}}

{{Footer Olympic Champions Shot Put Men}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Athletics at the 1968 Summer Olympics - Men's shot put}}

Category:Athletics at the 1968 Summer Olympics

Category:Shot put at the Olympics

Category:Men's events at the 1968 Summer Olympics