Otterdahl's double shot put wins earn him USATF Athlete of the Week honors

INDIANAPOLIS — Moving to No. 6 on the all-time U.S. men's shot put list, Payton Otterdahl (Lincoln, NE/USATF Dakotas) earned recognition as the 16th USATF Athlete of the Week award winner for 2024.

An Olympian at Tokyo in 2021 who placed fifth at last summer's World Championships in Budapest, Otterdahl blasted a big PB at the Drake Relays Team Shot Put Showcase in Des Moines, going 22.59i/74-1.5i in the Drake Fieldhouse to move to sixth on the all-time absolute U.S. performer list. That added more than a foot and a half to his previous PB.

Three days later, Otterdahl also won the Drake Relays invitational outdoor event with a best of 22.14/72-7.75, which would have been a PB before his huge performance in the team competition. After enjoying his best year ever in 2023 only months after hip labrum surgery in September 2022, this was Otterdahl's season opener and the only time he has surpassed 22.00 in his first competition.
 
Other top performances from last week:

• Vincent Ciattei won the men's USATF Road Mile Championships title by two seconds in 3:57 at the Grand Blue Mile in Des Moines.
• Rachel McArthur captured the women's title at the USATF Road Mile Championships in Des Moines, clocking 4:33.
• Jaida Ross of Oregon tied her own collegiate record in the women's shot put with a 19.71/64-8 at the Desert Heat Classic in Arizona.
• Valarie Allman won the women's discus at the Suzhou Diamond League meet in China with a 69.86/229-2, the ninth-best throw in American history.
• Daniel Roberts won his second straight Diamond League men's 110 hurdles race, zipping to a 13.12 at Suzhou.
• Monae' Nichols soared to a 6.91/22-8w to win the women's long jump at the USATF Bermuda Grand Prix by almost a foot.
• ​​Jan Holmquist, 79, lowered her American women's 75-79 record for 10K from 50:01 to 49:46 at the USATF Masters 10K Championships, winning her age division by 20 minutes and achieving an age grade of 101.57%.
• Edna Hyer, 90, established the 10K American record for the women's 90-94 age group with a 1:28:06 at the USATF Masters 10K Championships.

Now in its 23rd year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week when there are high-level competitions and features the athlete on USATF.org. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.

2024 Winners: January 17, Weini Kelati; January 24, Cooper Teare; January 31, Nico Young; February 7, Fiona O'Keeffe; February 14, Elle St. Pierre; February 21, Grant Holloway; February 28, Jalani Davis; March 6, Elle St. Pierre; March 13, Rachel Glenn; March 20, Grant Fisher; March 27, Myrle Mensey; April 3, Jordan Davis; April 10, Hillary Bor; April 17, Jacious Sears; April 24, Christian Miller; May 1, Payton Otterdahl.

We welcome your nominations!

To nominate an athlete for USATF Athlete of the Week, please send a detailed email about their performance to communications@usatf.org.

Join the conversation with USATF on X, Instagram, and Facebook using the hashtag #USATF.

Photo Credit: Luke Lu.