EUGENE, Ore. – Former North Dakota State NCAA champion thrower Payton Otterdahl is headed back to the Olympic Games, qualifying as a member of Team USA in the shot put for the second time in his career.
Otterdahl placed third in the shot put at the U.S. Olympic Trials for track & field on Saturday night, securing his spot at the 2024 Paris Games. He registered a throw of 73-00.50 (22.26m) on the fifth of six attempts.
The top three finishers in each event at the trials advance to the Olympic Games, if they have met the Olympic qualifying standard – which is no issue in the men’s shot put, and is considered one of the toughest events to qualify for Team USA. Otterdahl is ranked fourth in the world this year, but third among American men.
The shot put is scheduled to be contested on Aug. 2-3 in Paris.
Otterdahl was already one of seven former NDSU athletes to compete in the Summer Olympic Games, but he becomes the first Bison to qualify for two different Olympics. With Amanda Smock (2012, London, triple jump) and Erin Teschuk (2016, Rio, 3000m steeplechase), the NDSU track & field program has now qualified an athlete to four consecutive Summer Olympics.
Otterdahl finished 10th in the shot put at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021 before placing fifth at the World Championships in 2023. He competed for NDSU from 2015-19, setting the collegiate indoor shot put record and winning NCAA indoor titles in the shot put and weight throw in 2019.