The History of Shot-Putting

Shot put is a common track-and-field event which can be enjoyed by spectators of the local student athletics program or a Summer Olympics event. Participants use a combination of strength and momentum to hurl, or put, the shot as far from their starting point as possible. Though today shot put is only practiced as a sport, it began as a much more serious business.

  1. Original Function

    • In the pre-Christian period, Scottish Chieftains used stone throwing as a method to determine rank, and gauge power. A local leader would challenge the chief of a visiting tribe to a contest. Each chieftain would then choose his greatest warrior to throw the "clachneart," or stone of strength. The leader whose warrior threw the stone the farthest was viewed as having more military strength, and thus more power.

    Military Significance

    • Later in Scotland's history, keeping and training a military force became illegal. Contests of strength then became a means to cloak actions that prepared men for war. Stone-putters could be used to defend a castle or keep that was under siege by throwing stones off the battlements. These contests of strength became the formal highland games during the reign of King Malcolm in 1040 A.D. Malcolm is said to have selected the original stones for the event from the River Dee, so that the stones would be smooth.

    Competitive Adaptation

    • The traditional Scottish stone put was modified by British soldiers, who began throwing cannonballs in contests, instead of using stones. It is for this form of the event that the modern competition is named. The "shot" is the cannonball, and the "put" is the traditional word for the throwing style. Military sporting groups formed teams and held both formal and informal forms of the competition. There are extensive records of these competitions beginning during the 18th century, but the sport still lacked consistency. The shots used ranged in size from 8 to 24 pounds.

    Olympic Establishment

    • The shot put was one of the events in the first modern Olympics, held in 1896. At this time, the shot was strictly a men's event. A standard shot size of 16 pounds was officially assigned to the event. The event was not added to the women's Olympic program until 1948. The women's event was assigned a shot weight of 8.8 pounds.

    Athletic Advancement

    • Several advancements have been made in the sport since its Olympic establishment. Regulation balls are now typically formed of lead, but cannot be made of anything softer than brass. This regulation prevents the ball from becoming misshapen by the impact of multiple throws. Putting technique has also been significantly altered as athletes have discovered ways to make their throwing more effective. The most significant of these changes occurred in 1951 when Perry O'Brian first used the gliding technique, and in 1976 When Randy Barnes first used rotation to increase his ability to propel the ball when throwing it.