Ryan Crouser and Joe Kovacs have finished 1-2 in three consecutive Olympics after taking gold, silver in Paris.
SAINT DENIS , France — Ryan Crouser looked at teammate Joe Kovacs after the pair had finished first and second in the shot put for a third consecutive Olympics and wondered. “I don’t know how Joe keeps doing it at 35,” Crouser said.
That’s how old Crouser will be for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles and the question was already being asked if he would look to extend his record streak of championships. “I mean it’s still a long ways off right now,” said Crouser who competed in college at the University of Texas. “But as an American athlete to have the opportunity to hang up my shoes on American soil in a home Olympics, that would be a dream come true. “It’s a long ways off. I’m feeling it at 31 but if I can channel my inner Joe, I would love to go through 2028.” This Olympic cycle was tough for Crouser, who had several injuries since March when aggravated a nerve in his elbow at the world indoor championships. He tore a pec muscle a month later while weightlifting and then had surgery on his elbow. It all meant he couldn’t train the way he normally did and he tried to avoid throwing on consecutive days although he had to do that in Paris. “Throwing a 16-pound ball as far as you can for a living, can beat you up,” Crouser said. “This definitely was the sweetest victory of all of them. ‘Just overcoming questions if I would be able to get to this point again. “This year hasn’t been easy. The elbow injury, the back… just so many setbacks. A lot of self-doubt as to whether I would get back. Took a lot to get back to where I had been in the past. It’s made it all the more special to be out there tonight. There were a lot of times I thought I might not be. “In Tokyo, I felt so much pressure to perform because I had just thrown the world record. I was in fantastic shape. It felt like it was mine to lose. Tonight I just felt happy to be here, I felt so appreciative.” Crouser’s winning throw of 75-1¾ came on his third attempt. He scratched on his next two and then passed on his final with the gold already clinched. Kovacs earned his third consecutive silver on his final throw of the night as the rain began falling at Stade de Paris. He jumped from fourth to second with a 72-8 to get the edge over Jamaica’s Rajindra Campbell. Payton Otterdahl of the U.S. was fourth. “I’m really proud of that last throw,” Kovacs said. “Of course, you don’t ever want to go to the six-round heroics but somehow I’ve done that a few times in the past. “But I’m really proud in that moment that I tapped in stayed on the ball.” Kovacs’ final throw came as the weather was getting worse. “I mean, we live in Dublin, Ohio,” Kovacs said. “The weather is not perfect. We throw outside in the rain and we fight through it every single day. “So getting in that ring — watching three people fall right before you is something you got to deal with mentally — but you just find a way to put yourself in that moment.” Of the 51 best shot puts in history, 44 are from Crouser and Kovacs, who have pushed each other for the last eight years, “the golden era of shotput,” as Crouser said. Crouser’s three golds in shot put are the most in Olympic history, breaking a tie with Americans Parry O’Brien and Ralph Rose and Poland’s Tomasz Majewski. If not for Crouser, Kovacs would be the shot putter with three consecutive golds. “I’m never happy three silvers, but at the end of the day, I’m going to be happy about that last throw,” Kovacs said. This is my third Olympics and I think this is the first one where I feel like I really experienced it. I don’t know if I have another one in me. I hope I do, but at the same time I’m proud that I went out there. Jamaica’s Campbell prevented a U.S. sweep when he passed Otterdahl in the second round and never lost his place. “When you Google shotput, these are the guys you see,” said Campbell. “They deserve everything they have accomplished. But as a young thrower, the goal is to accomplish what they have. So you know, stay hungry.”
Payton Otterdahl Google Ryan Crouser Joe Kovacs Rajindra Campbell SAINT DENIS Ralph Rose Tomasz Majewski Parry O'brien Stade De Paris America France Los Angeles Jamaica Tokyo Poland Ohio Dublin Olympics Olympic
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