Through the ages, throwers have always had the same goal: to propel an object as far as possible. The shot put competition if directly descended from throwing a heavy stone, a war technique used in antiquity.

After cannons were invented in the 14th century, cast iron balls replaced the stones and it was this type of ball that was used in track and field in British colleges around 1850. The men's shot put was an event in the 1896 Olympics in Athens; women's shot put was first included in the Olympics in London in 1948.