Christian Cantwell

Christian Cantwell ( born September 30, 1980 in Jefferson City ) is an American shot putter. He was 2009 World champion and three times World Indoor champion.

Since 2000, when he participated for the first time at the U.S. Trials for the Olympic Games in Sydney, he tried to break into the top. He missed it in the first years of permanence, however, to qualify for major international competitions, especially because he had great competition in the U.S. with John Godina and Adam Nelson.

In 2004 he took part in the World Indoor Championships in Budapest and won the gold medal with 21.49 meters. In June Cantwell improved his personal best to 22.54 m. However, in July he was only fourth at the U.S. Championships with a width of 20.56 m and was not allowed to the Olympic Games in Athens.

In 2005, he was then for the first time be with a width of 21.64 m American champion and the first time to qualify for the World Championships. At the World Championships in Helsinki, he won the qualification in which his great rival John Godina retired due to injury, but in the final battle he could not confirm the qualifications width again and was only fifth. It won his compatriot Adam Nelson. At the World Indoor Championships in 2006, he did not reach the final battle.

2007 Cantwell was after a strong season again only fifth at the U.S. Trials and missed qualifying for the World Championships in Osaka. In 2008 he won at the World Indoor Championships in Valencia with 21,77 m his second title. At the Olympic Games in Beijing, he surpassed in his last attempt with 21,09 m three to go before him rivals and secured the silver medal.

At the World Championships in Berlin in 2009, he won with a distance of 22.03 m the gold medal ahead of Poland's Tomasz Majewski, where he was a year ago still inferior in Beijing. 2010 Cantwell was in Doha for the third time World Indoor champion. The following year he missed the World Championships with four inches behind the third just a medal. With the same residue, he was fourth at the 2012 Olympic Games.

The personal best of Christian Cantwell is located since 2004 at 22.54 m. At a height of 1.98 m his competition weight is 136 kg. Since 2005, he is married to the putter Teri Steer, with whom he has a child.