Brian David Crouser (born August 9, 1962) is a retired

javelin thrower The javelin throw is a track and field event where the javelin, a spear about in length, is thrown. The javelin thrower gains momentum by running within a predetermined area. Javelin throwing is an event of both the men's decathlon and the ...

from the

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, who twice (1988 and 1992) competed at the Summer Olympics during his career.

Biography

Brian Crouser was born to Larry and Marie Crouser, in early August 1962. At the age of nine, Brian witnessed a life-altering event. This event was the

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...

Munich, Germany Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

. He immediately became interested in the throwing events, practicing the

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, discus, and

javelin A javelin is a light spear designed primarily to be thrown, historically as a ranged weapon, but today predominantly for sport. The javelin is almost always thrown by hand, unlike the sling, bow, and crossbow, which launch projectiles with th ...

, in his backyard in a quiet, suburban, neighborhood in

Gresham, Oregon Gresham ( ) is a city located in Multnomah County, Oregon, in the United States of America, immediately east of Portland, Oregon. It is considered a suburb within the Greater Portland Metropolitan area. Though it began as a settlement in the mid- ...

. Brian attended Gresham High School, and participated in

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

. In 1981, while attending Gresham, Brian became the first boy to win the state championship in all three throwing events (Shot-put, Javelin, and Discus).

College

After graduating high school, Brian was quickly offered a full-ride scholarship by the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

in Eugene. He accepted, and began his college career in 1982. Crouser quickly made a name for himself at Oregon, when he became the first college freshman ever to win the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

javelin title, with a mark of 274'7". That throw earned Brian a top-three national ranking. Battling injuries his sophomore and junior track seasons, Crouser was able to pull through, and win the Pac-10 javelin crown his junior year with a toss of 272'7". He was able to repeat this his senior year, where he once again won the Pac-10 javelin championship, with a throw of 283'8". On May 5, 1985, Brian set an all-time collegiate record with a throw of 312'0".

A Setback

Crouser was diagnosed with cancer in the spring of 1986, which was in the middle of his senior year at Oregon. He began treatment and had surgery on April 18, within a week of the diagnosis. Crouser, during his stay at Bess Kaiser Hospital, with the eternal love of throwing, was often seen practicing his steps and crossovers in the halls. Brian's determination and perseverance was demonstrated when he was presented with a clean bill-of-health in late May, 1986. The first year the new javelin implement was introduced, Crouser became the world-record holder, with a throw of 262'0".

Olympian Emerges

After graduating college in 1986, Crouser immediately set his sights on making the 1988 Olympic team. He continued training, and in the summer of 1988, he placed in the Olympic Trials in

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...

. He went on to represent the United States, and place in the World's top thirty athletes at the

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

. Crouser trained for the next four years, and he made the 1992 U.S. Olympic team in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

. He again placed in the world's top thirty athletes.

Personal life

Crouser currently resides in

Redmond, Oregon Redmond is a city in Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. Incorporated on July 6, 1910, the city is on the eastern side of Oregon's Cascade Range, in the High Desert in Central Oregon. From Redmond there is access to recreational opportunit ...

. His nephew

Ryan Crouser Ryan Crouser (born December 18, 1992) is an American shot putter and discus thrower. He is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and Olympic record holder. Crouser is the current world record holder in the shot put, both indoor and outdoor. On June 18 ...

is a two time Olympic Gold medalist and is the current world record holder in the shot put.

Achievements

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Crouser, Brian 1962 births Living people American male javelin throwers Track and field athletes from Portland, Oregon Athletes (track and field) at the 1988 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1992 Summer Olympics Olympic track and field athletes for the United States Gresham High School (Oregon) alumni People from Troutdale, Oregon