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Athletics at the 1972 Summer Olympics – Men's shot put

{{Infobox Olympic event

|event = Men's shot put

|games = 1972 Summer

|image = File:1972 stamp of Umm al-Quwain Władysław Komar.jpg

|image_size = 200px

|caption = Umm al-Quwain stamp commemorating Władysław Komar's victory

|venue = Olympic Stadium

|dates = September 8 & 9, 1972

|competitors = 29

|nations = 19

|win_value = 21.18 {{OlyR|athletics}}

|win_label = Winning distance

|longnames = yes

|gold = Władysław Komar

|goldNOC = POL

|silver = George Woods

|silverNOC = USA

|bronze = Hartmut Briesenick

|bronzeNOC = GDR

|prev=1968

|next=1976

}}

{{AthleticsAt1972SummerOlympics}}

The men's shot put field event at the 1972 Olympic Games took place on September 8 & 9. Twenty-nine athletes from 19 nations competed. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress.

The East German throwers were expected to pose a big challenge in these games, as well as the throwers from Poland. Brian Oldfield from the United States was the first person to use a new technique, a technique that is similar to the discus throwing style. The thrower uses a rotational spin before releasing the shot put.{{cite web |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1972/ATH/mens-shot-put.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417174549/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1972/ATH/mens-shot-put.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 April 2020 |title=Athletics at the 1972 Munich Summer Games: Men's Shot Put |access-date=7 January 2018 |work=sports-reference.com}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20200417174549/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1972/ATH/mens-shot-put.html Mens Shot Put at Sports Reference]

The event was won by Władysław Komar of Poland, the nation's first medal in the men's shot put. It was the first time since World War II that an American had not won; George Woods had the best result for the United States with silver. It was Woods' second consecutive silver, making him the eighth man to win two medals in the event. Hartmut Briesenick took bronze, East Germany's first medal in the shot put and the first medal for any German since Hans Woellke's 1936 win (the last time a non-American had won).

The winning margin was 1 cm. As of 2023, this is the narrowest winning margin for the men's shot put at the Olympics.

Background

This was the 17th appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. Returning finalists from the 1968 Games were silver medalist George Woods of the United States, sixth-place finisher (and 1964 finalist) Władysław Komar of Poland, eighth-place finisher Heinfried Birlenbach and twelfth-place finisher Traugott Glöckler of West Germany, and eleventh-place finisher (and 1964 finalist) Les Mills of New Zealand. The American team was favored, but not as dominant as in prior years. East Germany had a strong team, with three-time Olympian Komar also a contender.{{cite web |url=https://www.olympedia.org/results/61243 |work=Olympedia |title=Shot Put, Men |access-date=19 October 2020}}

India, Nigeria, and Saudi Arabia each made their debut in the men's shot put. The United States appeared for the 17th time, the only nation to have competed in all Olympic shot put competitions to date.

Competition format

The competition used the two-round format introduced in 1936, with the qualifying round completely separate from the divided final. In qualifying, each athlete received three attempts; those recording a mark of at least 19.00 metres advanced to the final. If fewer than 12 athletes achieved that distance, the top 12 would advance. The results of the qualifying round were then ignored. Finalists received three throws each, with the top eight competitors receiving an additional three attempts. The best distance among those six throws counted.Official Report, vol. 3, p. 61.

Records

These were the standing world and Olympic records (in metres) prior to the 1972 Summer Olympics.

{{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|Randy Matson|USA|1968 Summer}}

| olympic_mark = 20.68

| olympic_place = Mexico City, Mexico

| olympic_date = 14 October 1968

}}

The Olympic record fell quickly, with Hartmut Briesenick's first throw in the final reaching 20.97 metres. Briesenick had been the sixth thrower in the order; the seventh (Brian Oldfield) and tenth (Al Feuerbach) came in between the old record and Briesenick's new one. The thirteenth, Hans-Peter Gies, threw 21.14 metres for a new record. The fourteenth thrower, however, was Władysław Komar—who threw 21.18 metres to set a new record that would last through the competition. George Woods became the sixth man to beat the old record in the third round, and came within a centimetre of Komar's new record in the fourth. In all, 20 throws from six men were better than the old record.

Schedule

All times are Central European Time (UTC+1)

class="wikitable"

! Date

! Time

! Round

Friday, 8 September 197210:00Qualifying
style=background:lemonchiffon

| Saturday, 9 September 1972

14:30Final

Results

All throwers reaching {{height|m=19.00}} and the top 12 including ties advanced to the finals. Shown in blue. All distances are listed in metres.{{cite web| url = https://www.olympic.org/munich-1972/athletics/shot-put-men| title = Munich 1972 shot put men Results - Olympic athletics}}

=Qualifying=

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

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

Notes
bgcolor=bbf3bb

| 1

align=left|Władysław Komaralign=left| {{FlagIOC|POL|1972 Summer}}A20.60data-sort-value=1.00| —data-sort-value=1.00| —20.60{{abbr|Q|Qualified for final by distance}}
bgcolor=bbf3bb

| 2

align=left|Hartmut Briesenickalign=left| {{FlagIOC|GDR|1972 Summer}}B20.38data-sort-value=1.00| —data-sort-value=1.00| —20.38{{abbr|Q|Qualified for final by distance}}
bgcolor=bbf3bb

| 3

align=left|Heinfried Birlenbachalign=left| {{FlagIOC|FRG|1972 Summer}}B20.10data-sort-value=1.00| —data-sort-value=1.00| —20.10{{abbr|Q|Qualified for final by distance}}
bgcolor=bbf3bb

| 4

align=left|George Woodsalign=left| {{FlagIOC|USA|1972 Summer}}A19.96data-sort-value=1.00| —data-sort-value=1.00| —19.96{{abbr|Q|Qualified for final by distance}}
bgcolor=bbf3bb

| 5

align=left|Brian Oldfieldalign=left| {{FlagIOC|USA|1972 Summer}}B19.95data-sort-value=1.00| —data-sort-value=1.00| —19.95{{abbr|Q|Qualified for final by distance}}
bgcolor=bbf3bb

|rowspan=2| 6

align=left|Al Feuerbachalign=left| {{FlagIOC|USA|1972 Summer}}A19.94data-sort-value=1.00| —data-sort-value=1.00| —19.94{{abbr|Q|Qualified for final by distance}}
bgcolor=bbf3bb

|align=left|Vilmos Varjú

align=left| {{FlagIOC|HUN|1972 Summer}}B19.94data-sort-value=1.00| —data-sort-value=1.00| —19.94{{abbr|Q|Qualified for final by distance}}
bgcolor=bbf3bb

| 8

align=left|Yves Brouzetalign=left| {{FlagIOC|FRA|1972 Summer}}A19.87data-sort-value=1.00| —data-sort-value=1.00| —19.87{{abbr|Q|Qualified for final by distance}}
bgcolor=bbf3bb

| 9

align=left|Jaroslav Brabecalign=left| {{FlagIOC|TCH|1972 Summer}}A19.82data-sort-value=1.00| —data-sort-value=1.00| —19.82{{abbr|Q|Qualified for final by distance}}
bgcolor=bbf3bb

| 10

align=left|Jaromír Vlkalign=left| {{FlagIOC|TCH|1972 Summer}}Bdata-sort-value=1.00| X18.2019.6119.61{{abbr|Q|Qualified for final by distance}}
bgcolor=bbf3bb

| 11

align=left|Seppo Simolaalign=left| {{FlagIOC|FIN|1972 Summer}}A19.49data-sort-value=1.00| —data-sort-value=1.00| —19.49{{abbr|Q|Qualified for final by distance}}
bgcolor=bbf3bb

| 12

align=left|Lahcen Samsam Akkaalign=left| {{FlagIOC|MAR|1972 Summer}}B18.9819.36data-sort-value=1.00| —19.36{{abbr|Q|Qualified for final by distance}}
bgcolor=bbf3bb

| 13

align=left|Rimantas Plungėalign=left| {{FlagIOC|URS|1972 Summer}}B18.9719.18data-sort-value=1.00| —19.18{{abbr|Q|Qualified for final by distance}}
bgcolor=bbf3bb

| 14

align=left|Bruce Pirniealign=left| {{FlagIOC|CAN|1972 Summer}}B19.18data-sort-value=1.00| —data-sort-value=1.00| —19.18{{abbr|Q|Qualified for final by distance}}
bgcolor=bbf3bb

| 15

align=left|Ralf Reichenbachalign=left| {{FlagIOC|FRG|1972 Summer}}A19.14data-sort-value=1.00| —data-sort-value=1.00| —19.14{{abbr|Q|Qualified for final by distance}}
bgcolor=bbf3bb

| 16

align=left|Traugott Glöckleralign=left| {{FlagIOC|FRG|1972 Summer}}B18.1519.11data-sort-value=1.00| —19.11{{abbr|Q|Qualified for final by distance}}
bgcolor=bbf3bb

| 17

align=left|Hans-Peter Giesalign=left| {{FlagIOC|GDR|1972 Summer}}A19.06data-sort-value=1.00| —data-sort-value=1.00| —19.06{{abbr|Q|Qualified for final by distance}}
bgcolor=bbf3bb

| 18

align=left|Heinz-Joachim Rothenburgalign=left| {{FlagIOC|GDR|1972 Summer}}A19.03data-sort-value=1.00| —data-sort-value=1.00| —19.03{{abbr|Q|Qualified for final by distance}}
19align=left|Ivan Ivančićalign=left| {{FlagIOC|YUG|1972 Summer}}B18.8018.95data-sort-value=1.00| X18.95
20align=left|Geoff Capesalign=left| {{FlagIOC|GBR|1972 Summer}}B18.9418.7218.7918.94
21align=left|Arnjolt Beeralign=left| {{FlagIOC|FRA|1972 Summer}}B18.5518.7418.2118.74
22align=left|Aleksandr Baryshnikovalign=left| {{FlagIOC|URS|1972 Summer}}A18.4518.4118.6518.65
23align=left|Les Millsalign=left| {{FlagIOC|NZL|1972 Summer}}B17.6118.38data-sort-value=1.00| X18.38
24align=left|Bo Grahnalign=left| {{FlagIOC|FIN|1972 Summer}}Bdata-sort-value=1.00| Xdata-sort-value=1.00| X18.2018.20
25align=left|Loukas Loukaalign=left| {{FlagIOC|GRE|1972 Summer}}A17.4717.48data-sort-value=1.00| X17.48
26align=left|Jugraj Singhalign=left| {{FlagIOC|IND|1972 Summer}}Adata-sort-value=1.00| X17.1516.6917.15
27align=left|Phil Conwayalign=left| {{FlagIOC|IRL|1972 Summer}}B16.1615.7616.6916.69
28align=left|Christopher Okonkwoalign=left| {{FlagIOC|NGR|1972 Summer}}A14.98data-sort-value=1.00| X16.5116.51
29align=left|Hussein Al-Taib Makialign=left| {{FlagIOC|KSA|1972 Summer}}Adata-sort-value=1.00| X11.5710.7711.57
rowspan=6 data-sort-value=30| —align=left| Youssef Nagui Assaadalign=left| {{FlagIOC|EGY|1972 Summer}}Acolspan=4 data-sort-value=0.00| {{abbr|DNS|Did not start}}
align=left| Bjorn Andersenalign=left| {{FlagIOC|NOR|1972 Summer}}Acolspan=4 data-sort-value=0.00| {{abbr|DNS|Did not start}}
align=left| Bill Tancredalign=left| {{FlagIOC|GBR|1972 Summer}}Acolspan=4 data-sort-value=0.00| {{abbr|DNS|Did not start}}
align=left| Aristides Lanieralign=left| {{FlagIOC|CUB|1972 Summer}}Bcolspan=4 data-sort-value=0.00| {{abbr|DNS|Did not start}}
align=left| Salvatore Moralealign=left| {{FlagIOC|ITA|1972 Summer}}Bcolspan=4 data-sort-value=0.00| {{abbr|DNS|Did not start}}
align=left| Vassil Kroumovalign=left| {{FlagIOC|BUL|1972 Summer}}Bcolspan=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!! Notes

{{Gold1}}align=left|Władysław Komaralign=left| {{FlagIOC|POL|1972 Summer}}21.18 {{OlyR|athletics}}data-sort-value=1.00| X20.5520.7420.80data-sort-value=1.00| X21.18{{OlyR|athletics}}
{{Silver2}}align=left|George Woodsalign=left| {{FlagIOC|USA|1972 Summer}}20.5520.1720.7121.1720.8821.0521.17
{{Bronze3}}align=left|Hartmut Briesenickalign=left| {{FlagIOC|GDR|1972 Summer}}20.97 {{OlyR|athletics}}20.9121.0221.1420.6120.5421.14
4align=left|Hans-Peter Giesalign=left| {{FlagIOC|GDR|1972 Summer}}21.14 {{OlyR|athletics}}21.0021.0120.62data-sort-value=1.00| Xdata-sort-value=1.00| X21.14
5align=left|Al Feuerbachalign=left| {{FlagIOC|USA|1972 Summer}}20.9020.29data-sort-value=1.00| X20.8621.0120.2821.01
6align=left|Brian Oldfieldalign=left| {{FlagIOC|USA|1972 Summer}}20.8520.6020.8720.5420.9120.1320.91
7align=left|Heinfried Birlenbachalign=left| {{FlagIOC|FRG|1972 Summer}}20.37data-sort-value=1.00| Xdata-sort-value=1.00| X19.89data-sort-value=1.00| X20.1320.37
8align=left|Vilmos Varjúalign=left| {{FlagIOC|HUN|1972 Summer}}20.10data-sort-value=1.00| Xdata-sort-value=1.00| Xdata-sort-value=1.00| X19.6719.6520.10
9align=left|Jaromír Vlkalign=left| {{FlagIOC|TCH|1972 Summer}}19.6620.09data-sort-value=1.00| Xcolspan=3 data-sort-value=0.00| Did not advance20.09
10align=left|Jaroslav Brabecalign=left| {{FlagIOC|TCH|1972 Summer}}19.6119.8619.60colspan=3 data-sort-value=0.00| Did not advance19.86
11align=left|Heinz-Joachim Rothenburgalign=left| {{FlagIOC|GDR|1972 Summer}}19.74data-sort-value=1.00| Xdata-sort-value=1.00| Xcolspan=3 data-sort-value=0.00| Did not advance19.74
12align=left|Yves Brouzetalign=left| {{FlagIOC|FRA|1972 Summer}}19.4219.6119.49colspan=3 data-sort-value=0.00| Did not advance19.61
13align=left|Ralf Reichenbachalign=left| {{FlagIOC|FRG|1972 Summer}}19.48data-sort-value=1.00| Xdata-sort-value=1.00| Xcolspan=3 data-sort-value=0.00| Did not advance19.48
14align=left|Rimantas Plungėalign=left| {{FlagIOC|URS|1972 Summer}}19.30data-sort-value=1.00| Xdata-sort-value=1.00| Xcolspan=3 data-sort-value=0.00| Did not advance19.30
15align=left|Lahcen Samsam Akkaalign=left| {{FlagIOC|MAR|1972 Summer}}19.11data-sort-value=1.00| Xdata-sort-value=1.00| Xcolspan=3 data-sort-value=0.00| Did not advance19.11
16align=left|Seppo Simolaalign=left| {{FlagIOC|FIN|1972 Summer}}18.9119.06data-sort-value=1.00| Xcolspan=3 data-sort-value=0.00| Did not advance19.06
17align=left|Bruce Pirniealign=left| {{FlagIOC|CAN|1972 Summer}}18.90data-sort-value=1.00| Xdata-sort-value=1.00| Xcolspan=3 data-sort-value=0.00| Did not advance18.90
18align=left|Traugott Glöckleralign=left| {{FlagIOC|FRG|1972 Summer}}18.8518.47data-sort-value=1.00| Xcolspan=3 data-sort-value=0.00| Did not advance18.85

References

{{reflist}}

External links

  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20070927222651/http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1972/1972s3.pdf Official report](pdf not found)

{{OlympicsShotPut}}

{{Footer Olympic Champions Shot Put Men}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Athletics at the 1972 Summer Olympics - Men's shot put}}

Men's shot put

Category:Shot put at the Olympics

Category:Men's events at the 1972 Summer Olympics