Rosemount's Payton Otterdahl reaches Olympic shot put finals

Rosemount native Payton Otterdahl posted one of the top marks in the Olympic men's shot put qualifying on Friday to advance to the finals Saturday in Paris.

Otterdahl, 28, had a 21.52-meter throw on his first attempt, making himself the top finisher in Group B, which booked his ticket to the finals. Otterdahl will be one of three Americans competing in the final alongside Joe Kovacs and Ryan Crouser.

Otterdahl is currently the fifth-ranked shot putter in the world and has a season-best throw of 22.59 meters, which is the fourth-best mark among competitors in the final.

Otterdahl previously competed in the 2020 Olympic Games where he finished 10th, but he more recently placed fifth in the 2023 World Championships.

And even more recently, the top-five shot putters in the world competed in the London Diamond League in early July, and Otterdahl came in third place.

Otterdahl, a graduate of Rosemount High School, attended North Dakota State from 2015-19, where he became just the second man ever to win both the shot put and the weight throw at the NCAA Championships.

The Olympic shot put finals take place at 12:35 p.m. on Saturday.