Lehigh Valley native Joe Kovacs won his third Olympic silver medal in the men’s shot put at the Paris Games on Saturday.
In a replay of the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, the Bethlehem Catholic and Penn State graduate finished second to fellow American Ryan Crouser, who won the gold medal with a 22.90 throw.
After his first throw of 21.69, Kovacs was in second. His third throw was a respectable 21.71, but that was only good enough for fourth. However, it was not an easy day, as the rainy conditions made the surface slippery. The tough conditions led to Kovacs fouling on his second, fourth, and fifth throws.
Kovacs went into his sixth and final throw in fourth place, but the pressure did not get to him. The former Lehigh Valley star delivered in the moment with a final throw of 22.15 to secure the silver.
That is now 8 consecutive medals for Kovacs in shot put events. He has won two world titles and took the silver at both the 2016 and 2020 Olympics.
Kovacs, 35, won District 11 and PIAA titles at Bethlehem Catholic and went on to become an All-American at Penn State.
He is coached by his wife Ashley, who is Vanderbilt’s throwing coach and U.S. Olympic women’s throwing coach. The couple lives in Nashville.
Lehigh Valley native Joe Kovacs chases Olympic gold again in Paris
Source: Berkshire mont
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