Putting the shot.

This started out as stone throwing or stone putting, with stones weighing between 15 and 25lb (7 to 10 kilos).

The ideal stones were found in river beds. Made round like a ball by the action of the running waters, they were ideal for putting.

With the invention of the cannon, cannonballs were thrown instead of stones. A cannonball was called the shot, so throwing them became known as putting the shot.