Olympic Thrower Payton Otterdahl Talks Snoop Dogg Moment

Team USA thrower Payton Otterdahl won’t even let meeting Snoop Dogg distract him from his mission on August 2 when men’s shot put commences for the Olympics in Paris.

“We went over and got a quick picture with [Snoop Dogg], that’s all it was,” Otterdahl told Eric Peterson of the Fargo Forum. “He talked about wanting to come out to shot put training at one point.”

The famous rapper-turned NBC Sports correspondent appeared in the photo with Otterdahl and fellow U.S. thrower Ryan Crouser on July 24. A Rosemount, Minnesota, native, Otterdahl competed at Division I North Dakota State before he first became an Olympic athlete in 2021 where he took 10th in Tokyo.

“The biggest difference will be competing in front of a crowd and having my family able to be there,” Otterdahl said.

Tokyo didn’t have crowds in 2021 because of COVID-19 restrictions. Otterdahl has improved on his throwing since then as Peterson noted. The 28-year-old posted the fourth-farthest throw in worldwide competition this year.

In addition, Crouser is looking for a gold medal three-peat in shot put and fellow thrower Joe Kovacs seeks another medal in shot put. Kovacs took silver in Tokyo and Brazil in 2016.

“We’re here for a job and we’re locked in, competition takes precedence, and whatever leads up to having a good competition takes precedence,” Otterdahl said.

The ninth Olympian from NDSU, Otterdahl told Peterson that he’s putting tourism to the side for now. That included not participating in the opening ceremony on July 24.

“At the end of the day, I’m here to compete so that takes priority over everything else,” Otterdahl said.

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Ryan Crouser Talks Three-Peat

Crouser recognizes the challenge ahead of him for a three-peat in the shot put, and it’s not just the competition.

“There’s a reason that nobody has ever done it in the shot put. It beats you up. It’s a difficult event and hard on the body,” Crouser told USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon.

“You have an injury and you kind of rehab, and coming back from it have another injury. Rehab and come back from it and another injury. Just the thought of, ‘Am I gonna get back to where I was?” Crouser said. “I’d be lying to myself if I’m not saying I’m getting to the second half of my career.”

Crouser, 31, dealt with pectoral and elbow injuries going into this year’s Olympics. The Portland, Oregon, native and former Texas standout still ranked No. 1 in the world last year despite the injuries, and he told USA TODAY that he’s considering Los Angeles in 2028.

“It would be a testament to the longevity,” Crouser said.

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Joe Kovacs Has Olympic Coach Close to Home

Kovacs, a former Penn State throwing standout, is seldom far from his throwing coach. That’s because his wife, Ashley Kovacs, coaches the Nazareth, Pennsylvania, native, which she has done since 2019.

In addition, Ashley Kovacs coaches the U.S. women’s throwers and the throwers at Vanderbilt.  The couple got married in 2018, and they have twin boys.

Ashley Kovacs had a standout throwing career at Kentucky and competed in the Olympic trials during 2008 and 2012.

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