O'Brien, (William) Parry

▪ 2008

      American shot-putter

born Jan. 28, 1932 , Santa Monica, Calif.

died April 21, 2007 , Santa Clarita, Calif.

developed a style that revolutionized the event and was ultimately adopted by all shot-putters. The maneuver called for the putter to start with his back to the shot's eventual line of flight and thus turn 180° before the release. He held the world record from 1953 to 1959, increasing the distance from 18 m (59 ft ³/₄ in) to 19.30 m (63 ft 4 in) in that period. In his freshman year at the University of Southern California, O'Brien surpassed all other shot-putters in the school. At the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki, he won the gold medal, setting an Olympic record of 17.41 m. He won 116 straight meet events in the 1950s, including the Pan-American titles in 1955 and 1959. In 1956 he became the first shot-putter to break 19 m. O'Brien broke the world record 16 times between 1953 and 1959. He won another gold medal at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne and won a silver medal at the 1960 Games in Rome. In 1966, in his 19th season, he improved his distance to 19.69 m. He was inducted into the U.S. Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1974 and the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1984.

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