Joseph Mathias Kovacs (born June 28, 1989) is an American

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

athlete who competes in the

shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's c ...

and has a personal record of 23.23 meters outdoors and 22.05 meters indoors. He won gold medals at the

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and 2019 World Championships. He won silver medals at the 2017 World Championships,

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and

2020 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...

. His personal best of 23.23 metres makes him the second best competitor all-time in the shot put event. Since college he was coached by Art Venegas, widely regarded as one of the best coaches in the world and the only coach to have athletes reach 73' with both the glide and rotational techniques in the shot put. Since 2019 he has been coached by his wife, Ashley Kovacs.

Early life and education

Kovacs was born in Nazareth, Pennsylvania on June 28, 1989. He excelled in high school track and field, winning PIAA titles in discus and

during his senior season. The winning shot put mark of is the PIAA Class AA state record. He attended

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania, Penn State becam ...

Track and field career

In his first year as a professional, Kovacs was sponsored by

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He missed the podium with a 4th-place finish in the United States Olympic Trials with a best throw of 21.08m/69-2, placed 4th at the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...

Division I outdoor championships with a best throw of 19.58 m (65–1.5 feet), but won the shot put at the

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

outdoor championships with a best throw of 20.85 m (68–5 feet). He enjoyed a success filled summer on the European track circuit with 2nd in Paris (20.44 meters, 67–0.75 feet); 2nd in Madrid (19.56 meters, 64–2.25 feet) and 6th in London (19.61 meters, 64–4 feet). Kovacs, in his second year as a professional, threw a season best of 20.82 meters (68–3.75 feet) at Tucson Elite Meet on May 18, 2013 which ranks him 6th in the US. Kovacs won the

New Balance Indoor Grand Prix The New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, formerly known as the Boston Indoor Games, is an annual indoor track and field meet which is held in late January or early February at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center. It was first held in Roxbury, a ...

with his first 70-foot throw. He then placed 3rd at the

USA Indoor Track and Field Championships The USA Indoor Track and Field Championships is an annual indoor track and field competition organized by USA Track & Field, which serves as the American national championships for the sport. In years which feature a World Indoor Championships in ...

with a throw of . On June 25, 2014 Joe Kovacs won the

2014 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships The 2014 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships was held at Hornet Stadium in Sacramento, California. Organised by USA Track and Field, the four-day competition took place June 26–29 in conjunction with the USA Junior Combined Events Outdoo ...

at a special venue in front of the

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, with a personal best of 22.03m (72' 3.5"), the top throw in the world for 2014. As a guest competitor at the UCLA hosted

Rafer Johnson Rafer Lewis Johnson (August 18, 1934 – December 2, 2020) was an American decathlon, decathlete and film actor. He was the 1960 Olympic gold medalist in the decathlon, having won silver in 1956. He had previously won a gold in the 1955 Pan Amer ...

Jackie Joyner Kersee Jacqueline Joyner-Kersee (born March 3, 1962) is a retired American track and field athlete, ranked among the all-time greatest athletes in the heptathlon as well as long jump. She won three gold, one silver, and two bronze Olympic medals in tho ...

Invitational on April 11, 2015, Kovacs improved his personal best (though not a

stadium A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...

record) with a to again take the early season world lead, by almost a full meter at the time. It was the farthest throw in the world since 2010 and ranked him as the No. 12 performer of all time. He backed that up with his following throw over . After winning his second National Championship in June, Kovacs improved again, adding another 21 cm to throw at the

Herculis The Herculis is an annual track and field meet at Stade Louis II in Fontvieille, Monaco. Previously one of the five IAAF Super Grand Prix events, it is now part of the Diamond League. World records Over the course of its history, five world re ...

meet in

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. That throw moved him past four Americans to the number 8 performer in history and the best throw since 2003. On July 1, 2016, Kovacs qualified for his first Olympic team by finishing in second place at the

Olympic Trials Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...

. He then won a silver medal at the 2016 Olympics with a throw of 21.78 meters (71' 5.5"). He finished behind teammate

Ryan Crouser Ryan Crouser (born December 18, 1992) is an American shot putter and discus thrower. He is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and Olympic record holder. Crouser is the current world record holder in the shot put, both indoor and outdoor. On June 18 ...

, who threw an Olympic Record 22.52 meters (73' 10.5"). On Oct 5, 2019, Kovacs won the Gold Medal at the Outdoor World Championships with a 22.91 meter Shot Put on his final throw of the event. He was coached by his wife and they are featured in an Olympic Channel feature commercial together.

Personal life

Kovacs is married to former collegiate shot-putter and Vanderbilt throwing coach Ashley Kovacs (Muffet). In 2019, Ashley began coaching Joe professionally.

References

External links

* * *https://web.archive.org/web/20150908000433/http://www.gopsusports.com/sports/c-track/mtt/kovacs_joe00.html *http://www.legacy.usatf.org/usatf/files/14/14708be3-a929-4cf0-9c93-b6bff6e49ae1.pdf {{DEFAULTSORT:Kovacs, Joe 1989 births Living people Bethlehem Catholic High School alumni Penn State Nittany Lions men's track and field athletes American male shot putters American people of Hungarian descent American people of Italian descent World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States World Athletics Championships medalists World Athletics Championships winners Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics Olympic silver medalists for the United States in track and field Athletes (track and field) at the 2020 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics People from Nazareth, Pennsylvania Sportspeople from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Olympic male shot putters Track and field athletes from Pennsylvania Diamond League winners USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners 20th-century American people 21st-century American people