While controversy in the men’s 110-meter hurdles dominated the news on July 17, the third day of the World Athletics Championships, the American shot putters were busy dominating their event.
In a stunning back-and-forth battle, world record holder Ryan Crouser defeated defending world champion Joe Kovacs by just five-hundredths of a meter.
Crouser came out hot, tossing four straight 22-plus meter throws. Kovacs overtook Crouser on the fifth throw of the series, which measured 22.89 meters. Crouser immediately followed Kovacs in the series order, and responded with a championship record 22.94 meters.
Behind this intense front battle between two friendly rivals, Josh Awotunde was having the meet of his life. He surpassed his personal record of 22.00 meters three times, overcoming a showdown with New Zealand’s Tom Walsh.
Despite falling short of victory, Kovacs was ecstatic about Team USA’s podium sweep, especially after watching the American men’s 100-meter sweep last night: “Obviously, I wanted to get the gold, but to be able to do this together, to all have those American flags... it's a really awesome moment. ”
Kovacs went on to mention that both he and Crouser thought they should have thrown a world record during the competition.
Despite Olympic medals and world records, Crouser had never earned a gold medal at the world championships before. “They joked that I was cursed and that it was not in the cards,” he said.
Crouser, who grew up just a couple hours from Eugene in Boring, Oregon, has been competing at Hayward Field for years, making the win extra special: “It was worth the wait to finally secure that world championships title in front of friends and family in a place that feels like home at Hayward Field.”
Crouser, Kovacs, and Awotunde were all especially happy to see shot put take center stage, as all three of the athletes earned some of the loudest cheers of the day.
“We've gained momentum in the event,” said Crouser. “They see those big throws and the passion that we have. It was a great opportunity... for the sport of track & field.”
Chris Hatler is a writer and editor based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but before joining Runner’s World and Bicycling, he was a pro runner for Diadora, qualifying for multiple U.S. Championships in the 1500 meters. At his alma mater the University of Pennsylvania, Chris was a multiple-time Ivy League conference champion and sub-4 minute miler.
