Ryan Whiting

Sport: Track and Field

Nation: United States of America

DOB: November 24, 1986

Hometown: Port Matilda, PA

Career Highlights: A six-time NCAA champion at Arizona State, Whiting may represent the United States’ best hope of breaking through and winning gold in the shot put for the first time since 1996. The U.S. has claimed silver in the past three Olympics, and second place is where Whiting finished at the U.S. Olympic trials in late June, behind Reese Hoffa. But Whiting recorded the farthest indoor throw in the world in 2011 and repeated that this year while winning gold at the world indoors. He’s improved greatly since finishing sixth in the 2008 U.S. trials, and Whiting figures to compete with plenty of emotion in London. His mother, Jill, passed away suddenly in 2009, and Whiting has since dedicated his training to her. He’ll have his hands full with countrymen Hoffa and Christian Cantwell at the Olympics, but Whiting should have a great chance to make his mother proud and wind up on the podium.

Olympic History: None