This is Stuart Weir’s second piece on Day one of the Diamond League fnals, held September 7-8, 2022 at the Letzigrund Stadium. This is the Weltklasse DL.
Shot put with marriage guidance thrown in!
Shot put got the proceedings underway at the Wanda Diamond League final part 1 in Zurich. Joe Kovacs opened with 22.67m to equal the meeting record that had been set by Ryan Crouser last year, but Crouser responded in superb style, recording the exact same mark to take an early joint lead. As Kovacs told me afterward, he knew he was in a battle from that moment.
The competition continued with men and women alternating, something both seemed to like. Kovacs told me: “It was cool to compete with the women. They had a good competition, and the crowd really got behind it. It is good for our sport to grow and adapt and to try new things. We have to evolve as a sport, and if the shot put is at the forefront of that, we are proud of it”. Chase Ealey agreed: “I like competing alongside men. They are powerful guys, and it is kinda cool to watch them do big throws. It’s motivating”.
Both also liked the way having their competition in a street setting meant that they were center-stage. Ealey put it well: “I really love a street meet. Having the crowd so close pushes you to do a little more and compete a little harder – as they are right there watching you. I think it is a good thing for the sport [to have the Diamond League final as a street meet] as it puts a lot of attention on it. I love it when we are the center of attention in a meeting”.
Chase Ealey, the 2022 World Champion, won the women’s event with 20.19 from Sarah Mitton and Auriol Dongmo. Ealey led from the first round and won the competition with her third-round throw. She won despite carrying an injury: “I am not sure what happened. I am having some issues with my toe. It was hurting a lot before this meet, but I was able to push through, tape it up, tie my shoe a little tighter”.
Kovacs threw 23.23 in round two for a PR, World Lead, Diamond League record, and meeting record. I believe it was also the longest throw ever recorded on a Thursday evening in a park in Switzerland. Crouser was second, and Tomas Walsh third. A delighted Kovacs told me: “It was a great time to throw a world lead – but I kinda wish I had done it at the World Champs. I have had a lot of throws over 22.80 this year so I am excited to finally knock over that barrier to become a 23m shot-putter”.
He is coached by his wife, something that he feels “is probably harder that people think because she sees everything. She sees what I do at home when I am not training. It is a real blessing to me, but it also means I have to stay on my game. She is a great coach, and she keeps me in line and gives me a play-by-play for what I need to do. I say that I like to be a puppet with someone pulling my strings, and she seems to pull the strings pretty well these days”.
The only downside of winning is that it is expensive: “We have a tradition among the shot-putters”, he told me, “that whoever wins has to buy the beers or the kebabs. Tonight I am buying kebabs for all the guys”.
And finally the marriage guidance: “I like to do what my wife says – that makes my life easier”.
