Carson, CA- The women’s shot putters put on a great competition tonight. While the U.S. men have long dominated the heavy stone throw, the women have lagged behind their male counterparts in both depth and stars. Tonight though, the ladies showed some sparks that they are on the road to respect with a great competition including several big marks and much improved depth. I know most of the readers on this site are sprints /jumps fans but much respect should be given to the lady shot putters for their performances tonight. Kristen Heaston won the competition and set two big PRs, the first (5th round-18.62m) in response to a big throw by Liz Wanless and the second (6th round-18.68m) to put an exclamation point on her win. Kristen wasn’t the only one having a great night though. Michelle Carter stepped up a notch and threw a PR 18.26m. Liz Wanless showed an awesome display of competitive fire in throwing 18.14m. The string of depth didn’t stop with the medalists though as both Jill Camarena and Becky Breisch had the misfortune of throwing over 18m but not taking home a medal. Overall,it was the best women’s shot put competition I’ve been a part of and it’s great to see the current crop of lady throwers step up and battle each other. Keep up the good work ladies!