Joe Kovacs wins Diamond League Final shot put with historic throw

08.09.2022 - 02:55 nbcsports.com

American Joe Kovacs launched the third-farthest shot put in history to win the Diamond League Final in Zurich, Switzerland.

Kovacs, the Olympic and world silver medalist behind countryman Ryan Crouser, threw 23.23 meters to defeat Crouser at a second consecutive Swiss meet. “It’s a milestone,” Kovacs told World Athletics. “I feel like there’s still more there.” Crouser, who threw 22.74 on Wednesday, owns the two best throws in history — 23.37 from last year’s Olympic Trials and 23.30 from the Tokyo Games.

Kovacs, a 33-year-old who was taught the shot put by his mom and coached by his wife, improved on his personal best of 22.91 that won the 2019 World Championships, where he defeated Crouser by one centimeter.

That was Kovacs’ last win over Crouser until a Diamond League meet in Lausanne two weeks ago. Crouser recently recovered from long COVID.

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