Shot Put

My writing is for people who want to know more about Shot Put,its history and what is involved in this sport.

Shot put is a track and field event it involves putting/throwing a metal ball in the air as far as you can.The men's shot put weighs 7.260 kgs but the woman's is about half weighing 4 kgs.

The history of this event actually came from soldiers that threw rocks to attack their enemies. Soldiers had competitions for who could throw a cannon ball the furthest .The first time that they actually threw shot puts as a event was early 19th century Scotland,and was in the British amateur championships in 1866.

There are two main styles of throws, the spin (which is what the male athletes use) And the glide which is what Valerie Adams uses. It is simply facing the back and doing a 180 spin and then letting go of the metal shot put.With the spin is a bit more complicated ,you face the back which is the same, but then you spin 1 and a half times which is a 720 degree spin and that's the hard part and let go.

Although you are trying to throw it as far as you can, there are a few rules:

• Once the athlete's name is called out they have sixty seconds to be in the circle
• The athletes can't have anything on their hands except a grippy powder.
• The metal shot put has to be released above the shoulder .
• You must leave the circle at the back (This one I found quite funny)
• The throw must land in the throwing area which is 34.92°

The shot put is made up of different types of metals which include iron cast iron,solid steel,stainless steel , brass. But there are also man made materials like polyvinyl that some shots are made from.

So Over all I think shot put is the best track and field event. I think I deserve a 14 out of 18.