2025 USATF Outdoors: Joe Kovacs Is Still Throwing Far and Still Looking for More, by Deji Ogeyingbo
Joe Kovacs doesn’t throw for applause. Well, he doesn’t even come off like such a person. He throws because he believes there’s always something left to chase. At 35, with two world titles, an Olympic triple silver, and now a 2025 world lead, you could argue his legacy is secure. Someone is still reaching.
But Kovacs doesn’t talk like a man coasting, but more like reaching. At the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Kovacs delivered the best throw in the world this year with 22.48m. It was his fourth Pre Classic title, and third in a row. He’s been doing this for over a decade, yet nothing about his presence feels dated. In fact, he looks more dialed in than ever.“This place brings it out of you,” he said afterward. “You feel like it’s premium when you come here. Everybody in the crowd knows what 22 meters means. They’re not clapping for noise. They’re clapping because they get it.” That understanding, that respect, fuels him.
So does history. Kovacs isn’t someone who shrugs off the past. He talks about Reese Hoffa and Adam Nelson like they’re still in the ring. He remembers going to a camp in high school, where Hoffa looked him in the eye and said, “You’re too short for the glide. Try the spin.” Kovacs did, and it changed his life. So when Hoffa was honored at Pre this year, Kovacs looked over and grinned. “Every good throw I make, I tell him it’s his fault.” But the throw in Eugene was more than nostalgia. It was power, precision, and rhythm all coming together at the right moment.
Kovacs said he didn’t even feel like he connected fully on any of his attempts, which only made the result more meaningful. “When you miss a throw and it still goes that far, it tells you where your base is. And it gets you excited.” He’s been building to this.
Earlier meets this season were solid but not spectacular. A 20.79m in Halle, 21.52m in Rabat, 21.59m in Rome. He won in Estonia with 21.13m. All those marks were good, but not quite what he expects of himself. He came into Eugene needing a pivot point. He found one.What sets Kovacs apart, even now, is how he talks about the work. He’s aware his body isn’t as forgiving as it once was. He’s also smarter.
He knows what he needs to do to keep his body in shape. “When I’m relaxed, I can whip the ball,” he said. “And when I can whip it, it goes.”
His partnership with his wife and coach, Ashley Kovacs, is a big part of that process. They raise twin toddlers together, travel together, and work in a rhythm that’s more like a family operation than a coaching setup. “I wouldn’t be doing this without her,” he said. “And I wouldn’t want to.”
That balance between home and sport, between experience and hunger, is why he’s still going. He knows how special this time is. He knows the throws now come with a little more reflection. But the goals haven’t changed. He wants to make the U.S. team for Tokyo. He wants another global medal. He wants to be the guy still standing when the best show up.And it won’t be easy.
Ryan Crouser is out this season (Ryan Crouser has a bye for World Champs and is recovering from an injury), but the American Shot put field remains deep.
Eugene, Oregon, USA
July15-26, 2022
shot put, Crouser, USA, Kovacs, USA
New names are pushing past 21 meters regularly.
Globally, too, the standard is high. But Kovacs isn’t watching the others.
He’s watching his own rhythm. He knows what he’s capable of.“Some throws in warm-up hit the grass,” he said with a half-smile. “Now the goal is to hit the grass when it counts.”
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