Ryan Whiting

Whiting finished 1st in the Shot Put on 7 March 2014 at the 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships.

He established his place among the world's top throwers with a win at the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships, winning the gold medal with a throw of 22 m (72 ft 2 in). He did not match this form outdoors that year, but still managed a number of podium finishes on the 2011 IAAF Diamond League circuit (Shanghai, Stockholm 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. Representing the United States at the Olympics for the first time, he reached his second outdoor global final, this time placing ninth with a mark of 20.64 m.

He has two brothers, Evan and Ross. He married his wife, Ashley, in 2011.

Whiting signed up with Nike Inc. in 2010, while still at Arizona State, and began to compete on the American track and field circuit that year. 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 track and field staff. He secured his first national title at the 2011 USA Indoor Championships, easily beating second-placed Dan Taylor. He came fourth at the 2011 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, but because Cantwell automatically entered as defending champion, Whiting still gained a spot for the 2011 World Championships in Athletics. On his global debut, he came seventh in the men's shot put final. He also performed well on the IAAF Diamond League circuit, having top three finishes on the Doha, Lausanne and Zürich legs in 2011. In 2012, Ryan was USA indoor runner-up.

Over the course of his four years competing for Arizona State University, he earned nine NCAA All-American 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 student-athlete program and received a number of Pac-10 and USTFCCCA All-Academic honours.

He started a majoring in civil engineering at Arizona State University in 2006 and began competing athletically for the Arizona State Sun Devils in 2007. In his first indoor season for the team he raised the school record to 20.01 m (65 ft 7  ⁄4  in) to take third in the shot at the NCAA Men's Indoor Track and Field Championship. 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 20.35 m (66 ft 9 in).

Ryan Whiting was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 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. Whiting made his international debut at the 2005 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships, 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, placing eighth with a throw of 19.36 m. By the end of the season he had improved his personal records to 19.75 m (64 ft 9  ⁄2  in) for the shot and 59.44 m (195 ft 0 in) for the discus.

Ryan Keith Whiting (born November 24, 1986) is an American track and field athlete who competes in the shot put 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, 2013 World Championships in Athletics, 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships and the 2012 London Olympics.