Ryan Keith Whiting (born November 24, 1986) is an American
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 ...
athlete who competes in the
shot put
The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's ...
and has a personal record of 22.28 meters outdoors and 22.35 meters indoors. His biggest international senior success to date is first place at the
2012 World Indoor Championships. He represented the United States at the
2011 World Championships in Athletics
The 13th IAAF World Championships in Athletics () was an international athletics competition that was held in Daegu, South Korea. It started on 27 August 2011 and finished on 4 September 2011.
The United States topped the medal standings in th ...
,
2013 World Championships in Athletics
The 14th IAAF World Championships in Athletics (Moscow 2013) () was an international athletics competition held in Moscow, Russia, from 10–18 August 2013. Initially, Russia won the most gold medals to top the table for the first time since 200 ...
,
2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships
The 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics was the fifteenth edition of the international indoor track and field competition, organised by the IAAF. The event was held between 7–9 March 2014 at the Ergo Arena in Sopot, Poland.
Prepar ...
and the
2012 London Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
.
He competed for the
Arizona State Sun Devils
The Arizona State Sun Devils are the athletic teams that represent Arizona State University. ASU has nine men's and eleven women's varsity teams competing at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member o ...
collegiately and won six
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 ...
titles while there. His throw of to win the 2008 NCAA Indoor title is the best mark by a college student indoors. He was the 2011, 2013, 2014 American indoor champion.
Early life and career
Ryan Whiting was born in
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in Pe ...
, the son of Kent and Jill Whiting. Whiting attended
Central Dauphin High School and started competing in shot put and
discus throw events as a teenager.
[Ryan Whiting]
. Sun Devils. Retrieved on 2013-02-23. Whiting made his international debut at the
2005 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships
The 13th Pan American Junior Athletics Championships were held in
Windsor, Ontario at the University of Windsor Stadium on July 29–31, 2005.
Participation (unofficial)
Detailed result lists can be found on the Athletics Canada, the CACAC, the ...
, where he won both events with personal record marks. He was chosen as the
Gatorade Male Track and Field Athlete of the year, ranking him as the top American high school track-and-fielder. Entering the senior ranks, he cleared 19 metres in the shot put for the first time at the
USA Indoor Track and Field Championships
The USA Indoor Track and Field Championships is an annual indoor track and field competition organized by USA Track & Field, which serves as the American national championships for the sport. In years which feature a World Indoor Championships in ...
, placing eighth with a throw of 19.36 m. By the end of the season he had improved his personal records to for the shot and for the discus.
[
He started a majoring in ]civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewage ...
at Arizona State University
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...
in 2006 and began competing athletically for the Arizona State Sun Devils
The Arizona State Sun Devils are the athletic teams that represent Arizona State University. ASU has nine men's and eleven women's varsity teams competing at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member o ...
in 2007. In his first indoor season for the team he raised the school record to to take third in the shot at the NCAA Men's Indoor Track and Field Championship
The NCAA Men's Indoor Track and Field Championship refers to one of three annual collegiate indoor track and field competitions for men organised by the National Collegiate Athletic Association for athletes from institutions that make up its thre ...
. Outdoors he was third at the Pac-10 championships and fourth at the NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship. He improved his overall best in the shot to .[
]
NCAA titles
Whiting was much improved in his second season for the Sun Devils and secured the NCAA Indoor title in the shot put with a throw of – this was an American collegiate indoor record and raised him to thirteenth on the all-time indoor lists. He threw a personal record of for the discus in March.[Ryan Whiting]
IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-02-23. He did not bring his indoor form to the outdoor season and was runner-up in the shot at both the Pac-10 and NCAA outdoor championships. He also ranked top ten in the discus at the NCAA meet and placed sixth in the shot put at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.[ He performed well at the season-ending ]2008 NACAC Under-23 Championships in Athletics
The 5th NACAC Under-23 Championships in Athletics were held in
Toluca, Mexico, at the Alberto "Chivo" Córdova Stadium at the
Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México on July 18–20, 2008. A detailed report on the results was given.
Medal ...
, taking the shot put gold and discus silver medals.
In his third year of competition for Arizona State, he was dominant in collegiate events. He defended his NCAA Indoor shot put title with a throw of . He had a string of victories outdoors, taking the Pac-10, NCAA West, and NCAA Outdoor titles. His throw of at the NCAA West Regionals was his best outdoors and a school record. He also qualified for the NCAA finals in the discus throw and finished as runner-up by a narrow margin.[ He again was ranked top ten in the shot put at the USA national championships.
In his final season for the Sun Devils he won a third NCAA indoor title with a throw of 21.52 m. He swept the Pac-10 outdoor shot put and discus throw titles before going on to claim the same double at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. In winning the shot put title, he threw a mark of – a personal record and three centimetres off the overall collegiate record of 22 metres held by ]John Godina
John Carl Godina (born May 31, 1972) is an American shot putter, whose record includes three World Championship wins and two Olympic medals. He also competes in discus. Godina was born in Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
High school years
While attendi ...
.[ASU's Ryan Whiting Named Pac-10 Men's Co-Field Athlete of the Year]
Sun Devils (2010-06-21). Retrieved on 2013-02-23.
Over the course of his four years competing for Arizona State University, he earned nine NCAA All-America
The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...
n honours and six NCAA titles (three indoor shot put, two outdoor shot put, one discus).[ The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association selected him as the American indoor performer of the year for 2008. In addition, he excelled off the field with his studies: he was twice chosen for the second team of the ]Academic All-America
The Academic All-America program is a student-athlete recognition program. The program selects an honorary sports team composed of the most outstanding student-athletes of a specific season for positions in various sports—who in turn are giv ...
student-athlete program and received a number of Pac-10 and USTFCCCA All-Academic honours.[
]
Professional career
Whiting signed up with Nike Inc. in 2010, while still at Arizona State, and began to compete on the American 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 ...
circuit that year.[Biography]
Ryan Whiting USA. Retrieved on 2013-02-23. He was runner-up to Christian Cantwell at the 2010 USA Indoor Championships and placed fifth at the USA Outdoors. Following his graduation from Arizona State in 2010, he began to focus on shot putting full-time. Returning to his native Pennsylvania, Whiting became a volunteer coach on the Penn State University
The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania, Penn State became ...
track and field staff. He secured his first national title at the 2011 USA Indoor Championships, easily beating second-placed Dan Taylor Daniel, Dan, or Danny Taylor may refer to:
Sportspeople
*Dan Taylor (shot putter) (born 1982), American shot putter
* Dan Taylor (cricketer) (1887–1957), South African cricketer
*Dan Taylor (footballer, born 1993), English footballer
*Dan Taylor ...
. He came fourth at the 2011 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
The 2011 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships were held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. Organised by USA Track and Field, the four-day competition took place from June 23–26 and served as the national championships in track and field for ...
, but because Cantwell automatically entered as defending champion, Whiting still gained a spot for the 2011 World Championships in Athletics
The 13th IAAF World Championships in Athletics () was an international athletics competition that was held in Daegu, South Korea. It started on 27 August 2011 and finished on 4 September 2011.
The United States topped the medal standings in th ...
. On his global debut, he came seventh in the men's shot put final.[ He also performed well on the ]IAAF Diamond League
The Diamond League is an annual series of elite track and field athletic competitions comprising fourteen of the best invitational athletics meetings. The series sits in the top tier of the World Athletics (formerly known as the IAAF) one-day mee ...
circuit, having top three finishes on the Doha
Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor, it is home to most of the coun ...
, Lausanne
, neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR-74), ...
and Zürich
Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...
legs in 2011. In 2012, Ryan was USA indoor runner-up.
He established his place among the world's top throwers with a win at the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships
The 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics was the 14th edition of the global-level indoor track and field competition and was held between March 9–11, 2012 at the Ataköy Athletics Arena in Istanbul, Turkey. It was the first of four ...
, winning the gold medal
A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture.
Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...
with a throw of . He did not match this form outdoors that year, but still managed a number of podium finishes on the 2011 IAAF Diamond League
The 2011 IAAF Diamond League (also known as the 2011 Samsung Diamond League for sponsorship purposes) was the second edition of the Diamond League, an annual series of fourteen one-day track and field meetings. The series began on 6 May in Doha, Q ...
circuit (Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...
, Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
and Zürich). His best outdoor throw of the year came at the 2012 United States Olympic Trials, where his mark of 21.66 m brought him second place behind Reese Hoffa
Michael Reese Hoffa (born ''Maurice Antawn Chism''; October 8, 1977 in Evans, Georgia) is an American shot putter. Reese won the shot put in the 2006 World Indoor Track and Field Championships and in the 2007 World Outdoor Championships. He al ...
. Representing the United States at the Olympics
United States of America (USA) has sent athletes to every celebration of the modern era Olympic Games, except for the 1980 Summer Olympics, during which it led a boycott to protest the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
American athletes have won ...
for the first time, he reached his second outdoor global final, this time placing ninth with a mark of 20.64 m.
Whiting finished 1st in the Shot Put on 7 March 2014 at the 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships
The 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics was the fifteenth edition of the international indoor track and field competition, organised by the IAAF. The event was held between 7–9 March 2014 at the Ergo Arena in Sopot, Poland.
Prepar ...
.
Personal life
He has two brothers, Evan and Ross. He married his wife, Ashley, in 2011.[
]
Major competition record
Personal bests
*All information taken from IAAF profile.
See also
* List of Pennsylvania State University Olympians
References
External links
Official website
*
* USATF
USA Track & Field (USATF) is the United States national governing body for the sports of track and field, cross country running, road running and racewalking (known as the sport of athletics outside the US). The USATF was known between 1979 and ...
profile fo
Ryan Whiting
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whiting, Ryan
1986 births
Living people
American male shot putters
Sportspeople from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Track and field athletes from Pennsylvania
Arizona State Sun Devils men's track and field athletes
Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Olympic track and field athletes of the United States
Diamond League winners
USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners
USA Indoor Track and Field Championships winners
World Athletics Indoor Championships winners