RIO DE JANEIRO — Michelle Carter won the shot put on Friday with a throw of 20.63 meters (68 feet, 8 1/4 inches), the first gold by the USA in the history of the event.
She earned the gold on her final throw, smashing her own American record (20.24, 66-5) in the process.
Valerie Adams of New Zealand (20.63) was second, and Anita Marton of Hungary (19.87) was third.
Carter, 30, is competing in her third Olympics.
She finished 15th at the 2008 Beijing Games and fifth in London in 2012, developing her skills with the help of her coach and father, Michael, who won silver in the shot put at the 1984 Los Angeles games.
Michael Carter also spent nine seasons in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers, playing a key part on three Super Bowl-winning teams.
The Carters are the first father-daughter tandem to both medal in the shot put, while Michelle Carter joined Earlene Brown, who took bronze in 1960, as the only females to medal in shot put since the discipline was opened up to women in 1948.
Say hello to @ShotDiva, the #Rio2016 shot put #GOLD medalist! pic.twitter.com/n2N5dCmthj
— U.S. Olympic Team (@TeamUSA) August 13, 2016
