RIO DE JANEIRO -- One came from a family filled with top-notch throwers. The other learned from his mom by using any heavy object that felt something like a shot put.Both paths led to the same place -- an Olympic medal.Ryan Crouser captured gold with an Olympic-record throw of 22.52 meters Thursday night to hold off U.S. teammate and favorite Joe Kovacs in the shot put final. Its the first time since 1996 the U.S. has finished 1-2 in the event and gives the Americans 25 medals in track and field in Rio, including nine gold.Youre never happy to get second. Its a bittersweet feeling, said Kovacs, whose top throw was 21.78. But its setting in on this walk down that Im still bringing a silver medal to the U.S., and the gold is coming to Ryan.Its not a stretch to say that throwing runs in Crousers family. His father, Mitch, was an alternate on the 1984 Olympic team in the discus. His uncle, Brian, competed in the javelin at the `88 and `92 Olympics. And then theres his cousin Sam, a javelin thrower who just so happens to be his roommate in Rio.Its definitely a family affair and they were all standing in the stands behind the shot put and were all wearing `Team Crouser uniforms, said Crouser, who is from Gresham, Oregon. It was pretty cool to be able to do that in the Olympics.Then theres Kovacs, who is self-made in the shot put.With a big help from mom, of course.His dad died when he was 7 years old and his mother took on many roles, including his coach. She would go to practice with him, absorb what the coach was telling him and then instruct him on what to do the rest of the week.Had to do whatever she said, Kovacs chuckled. She was the one who told me to keep my elbow up and push the ball flat.In high school, Kovacs threw the shot put as a way to stay in shape for football. He would practice in the parking lot and use whatever was heaviest, including a broken weight set. And when he threw the discus -- an event he dabbled in -- now that was an adventure. He used to skip it through a nearby road.So we had to sneak into other schools to practice, Kovacs said.His mom was in the stands watching him take home a medal.Its an awesome moment that we could share together, said the 27-year-old Kovacs, whos from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. This feels good. We showed it today. ... The depth in the U.S. in the shot put is strong.Throw in the performance of Michelle Carter, who got the ball rolling for the Americans with a gold medal in the shot put on the first night.Its really something special, and if you had written it out as a script, I wouldnt have believed it, the 23-year-old Crouser said.Kovacs was the favorite, especially considering he had four of the worlds top five throws this season.Only, he had a little insider knowledge. As they trained in Chula Vista, California, Crouser was turning in some massive throws. Kovacs knew Crouser was primed for a breakout performance.It played out that way, too. Crouser took the lead on his second attempt and improved it on his fifth with an Olympic record throw. It broke the previous mark of 22.47 set by Ulf Timmermann at the 1988 Seoul Summer Games.Its been a long road, and to get here and have everything to go essentially perfect, words cant describe how I feel right now, Crouser said. Christian Arroyo Jersey . Fernandez, coached in Toronto by former two-time Olympic silver medallist Brian Orser, scored 267.11 points and is the first champion to successfully defend since Russias Evgeny Plushenko in 2005 and 2006. Wade Boggs Jersey . It says Pocklingtons lawyer filed the appeal Friday in a California court. CTV Edmonton also says Pocklington gave a $100,000 cash deposit as part of the conditions of his bail, and that he will be out on bail until his appeal is heard. http://www.officialraysgearshop.com/Rays-Sergio-Romo-Kids-Jersey/ . The visitors took a deserved lead in the 16th minute with midfielder Yohan Cabaye curling the ball beyond Adrian from inside the penalty area. Chris Archer Jersey . The judges scored it 48-47, 48-47, 49-46 for Jones (19-1). It was the champions closest call. Despite the loss, it was a remarkable show by the confident Swedish challenger, who had the best of the early rounds and then hung on in the fourth and fifth. Blake Snell Jersey . Hamelin, who triumphed in the 500 on Saturday, edged out Victor An of Russia by 0.021 seconds to maintain his lead in the World Cup standings. Russias Vladimir Grigorev was third. In the relay, Canada took control six laps from the finish line to beat Russia and the Netherlands. MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Vikings placed safety Michael Griffin on injured reserve Saturday afternoon, ending the two-time Pro Bowlers bid to start next to Harrison Smith.Griffin, who was on crutches in the teams locker room Sunday after his back seized up against the San Diego Chargers, did not play in the teams final preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night.On Saturday afternoon, he posted a message on Instagram that suggested hed been released: Just want to thank the @vikings organization for the opportunity and want to wish them the best this season. Thanks for memories and friendships that will never be broken. #skolvikesThe safety said he wasnt sure at the time if the Vikings would release him or put him on injured reserve, but when he was playing on a one-year deal at age 31, he figured the net effect of the move was the same.It was more likely I wasnt going to be able to play next week, Griffin said. I felt like the writing was on the wall. Youre not going to keep a guy whos going to be injured, and you dont know how long he was going to be out. I got an epidural shot on Monday; its getting better, but I dont know when Ill be able to be fully 100 [percent].Griffin said he plans to get a second opinion on his back, whhich he first injured several days before the Vikings-Chargers game.dddddddddddd We didnt know exactly what it was. I thought I could play, but a couple plays into the game, it just locked up, he said. I was trying to make the team. When youre an older guy, and youre not playing, its not going to help.Griffin had man-to-man coverage on a Chargers tight end when Melvin Gordon broke through the line, forcing Griffin to make a quick change of direction in pursuit of the running back. Gordon sprinted away for a 39-yard touchdown, which was the first in U.S. Bank Stadium history.The Vikings signed Griffin to a one-year, $2.5 million deal in March, hoping he could turn into the kind of dynamic safety theyve sought next to Smith. Griffin, though, lost out on the starting job to Andrew Sendejo while fighting through his back injury.Minnesota will keep seventh-round pick Jayron Kearse after an impressive preseason in which the Clemson product intercepted two passes and forced a fumble. Anthony Harris, who started two games in 2015 after the Vikings signed the safety as an undrafted free agent, also made the Vikings final roster. 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