- Brian Crouser
Brian Crouser (born August 1962) was a U.S. Olympian in 1988 and 1992
Biography
Brian Crouser was born to Larry and Marie Crouser, in early August of 1962. At the age of nine, Brian witnessed a life-altering event. This event was the
1972 Summer Olympics inMunich, Germany . He immediately became interested in the throwing events, practicing the shot,discus , andjavelin , in his backyard in a quiet, suburban, neighborhood inGresham, Oregon . Brian attended Gresham High School, and participated intrack and field . 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 in Eugene. He accepted, and began his college career in 1982. Brian quickly made a name for himself at Oregon, when he became the first college freshman ever to win theNCAA 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, Brian 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
Brian was diagnosed with cancer in 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. Brian, 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, Brian became the world-record holder, with a throw of 262'0".
Olympian Emerges
After graduating college in 1986, Brian 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 . He went on to represent the United States, and place in the World's top thirty athletes at the 1988 Summer Olympics inSeoul .Brian trained for the next four years, and he made the 1992 U.S. Olympic team in
Barcelona . He again placed in the world's top thirty athletes.What's He Doing Now?
Brian currently resides in
Troutdale, Oregon , with his wife Laurie, and his two boys, Cory and Cody. He lives just miles from his childhood home, where all of the seeds for his lifetime success were planted. He's helped and inspired a countless amount of people, and he will continue to do so for many years to come. The legacy "will" live on.
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