Kovacs wins shot put gold at worlds with wife as coach
After winning a gold medal Saturday night, he owes her dinner. Maybe two.
“She earned it,” Kovacs said. “I owe her big time for this one.”
Joe Kovacs is the men's shot put world champion
The greatest shot put final in #WorldAthleticsChamps history.Joe Kovacs wins gold with a last round 22.91m to move up to equal #3 in the all-time lists.
Posted by IAAF World Athletics Club on Saturday, October 5, 2019
Kovacs threw a championship-record 22.91 meters and took home the gold by 1 centimeter. Teammate Ryan Crouser was second and Tomas Walsh of New Zealand took third with throws (each went 22.90) that would’ve won any other world championship.
To think, Kovacs was recently contemplating retirement. His wife, Ashley, the throws coach at Ohio State, talked him out of it.
“We put together this plan,” said Kovacs, the 2016 Olympic silver medalist. “To not only to be back on top, but to be better.”
The 30-year-old Kovacs knew he unleashed a technically sound throw on his final attempt, but he had no idea it was that good. He was shocked to see the distance. Crouser and Walsh had personal-best performances, too.
“It was an unbelievable competition with a lot of fireworks,” said Crouser, who made the rounds after winning a medal in a stylish cowboy hat. “This final was crazy and I am so happy to be part of it.”
The key for Kovacs? Focusing on his lane — or, more apt in this case, the shot-put ring.
“I was proud able to stay in my own head and not watch Ryan and Tom throw it so far and get tight,” said Kovacs, who won a world title in 2015. “Being a shot putter it’s really easy to get tense. You really want to be intense and loose.”
That’s where his wife plays a big role. They’re honest with each other. At practice, if he doesn’t feel like a particular workout, they skip it.
“He’s like, ‘You see me more than anybody else and you know when I’m down. I can’t pull one over on you,” said Ashley Kovacs, who was an All-American shot putter at the University of Kentucky. “The type of honesty we have in our relationship has really helped us in this realm.”
| POS | BIB | ATHLETE | COUNTRY | MARK | DETAIL | ATTEMPT 1 | ATTEMPT 2 | ATTEMPT 3 | ATTEMPT 4 | ATTEMPT 5 | ATTEMPT 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1908 | Joe KOVACS |  USA |
22.91 | CR | 20.90 | 21.63 | 21.24 | 21.95 | 21.94 | 22.91 |
| 2 | 1879 | Ryan CROUSER | USA |
22.90 | PB | 22.36 | X | 22.36 | 22.71 | X | 22.90 |
| 3 | 1504 | Tomas WALSH |  NZL |
22.90 | AR | 22.90 | X | X | X | 22.56 | X |
| 4 | 334 | Darlan ROMANI |  BRA |
22.53 | 21.61 | 22.53 | 22.03 | 22.13 | X | X | |
| 5 | 1893 | Darrell HILL | USA |
21.65 | 20.58 | 21.38 | 21.65 | X | 21.23 | X | |
| 6 | 1525 | Konrad BUKOWIECKI |  POL |
21.46 | 20.73 | 21.46 | X | 20.36 | X | X | |
| 7 | 1498 | Jacko GILL | NZL |
21.45 | 21.41 | 21.27 | 20.74 | X | 21.01 | 21.45 | |
| 8 | 1455 | Chukwuebuka ENEKWECHI |  NGR |
21.18 | 21.18 | X | 20.90 | 20.98 | 20.59 | 21.01 | |
| 9 | 413 | Tim NEDOW |  CAN |
20.85 | X | 20.50 | 20.85 | ||||
| 10 | 589 | Tomáš STANĚK |  CZE |
20.79 | 20.61 | 20.79 | 20.46 | ||||
| 11 | 551 | Filip MIHALJEVIĆ |  CRO |
20.48 | 20.33 | 20.38 | 20.48 | ||||
| 1671 | Armin SINANČEVIĆ |  SRB |
NM | X | X | X |
