Paris Olympics Throws Preview: Part 1

Ryan Crouser. Photo courtesy of USATF.

Men’s Shot Final 

August 3

In 2015, Joe Kovacs established himself as the planet’s best shot putter (male version) by launching a massive 22.56m PB at the Monaco Diamond League meeting. That throw moved him to eighth on the all time list, with the seven gents ahead of him having achieved their marks between 1975 and 1990 when…well, you know. 

Later that summer, Joe won his first international medal–a gold at the Worlds in Beijing–and at the age of 26 seemed primed to establish himself as the greatest shot putter of the drug-testing era, and maybe the greatest of any era.

Joe Kovacs. Photo courtesy of Diamond League AG.

In the years since, Joe has more than fulfilled the promise he showed during that breakout season, producing historically huge throws in some of the biggest comps, including 22.91m at the Doha Worlds and 22.65m at the Tokyo Olympics. He also became the second man during the current not-so-easy-to-cheat era to surpass 23 meters. 

But if you are reading this article, you know who the first guy was, and therein lies the story heading into Paris.

As great as Joe has been, Ryan Crouser has usually been better.

Since 2016, Crouser has won two Olympics, two Outdoor Worlds, one Indoor Worlds and seven national titles, often at Joe’s expense. When Joe went 22.65m in Tokyo, Crouser hit 23.30m. When Joe reached 22.87m at the 2022 US Championships and 22.89m three weeks later at the World Championships, Crouser topped him at both with throws of 23.12m and 22.94m.

At the Triton Invitational in 2015, Joe launched a warmup throw reportedly in the 23.75m range, which got folks thinking that Randy Barnes’ 23.12m World Record, set in 1990, was finally going to come off the books. Folks were right, but it was Crouser not Kovacs who leapfrogged Barnes by reaching 23.37m at the 2021 Trials. And when Joe made his own World Record bid with a 23.23m bomb at the 2022 Diamond League Final, Crouser responded the following spring by taking the mark out to 23.56m.

Long story short, after a decade of eating Crouser’s dust (a big exception being the historic Doha comp) the Paris Olympics offer Joe Kovacs one final opportunity to put himself back into consideration as the greatest putter of all time. All he has to do is break the World Record and win the gold medal. 

Which is not such a crazy notion. People who ought to know have said that Joe was in World Record shape when he threw 22.43m at the Trials but got a little too excited and lost his rhythm. The stakes will be much higher in Paris, so keeping his chill could be très difficile. Might I suggest a pre-comp plate of crêpes? After all, they’re just thin pancakes. 

But even if Joe does bang out a new record, what are the odds it lasts more than a round or two? Yes, Crouser missed a ton of training this spring while recuperating from elbow and pec injuries, but you may recall that in 2023, after three weeks of inactivity due to blood clots in his leg, he hobbled into Budapest and went 23.51m.

There is also the question of this Leonardo Fabbri fellow, the twenty-seven-year-old Italian who took silver in Budapest with his first-ever 22-meter throw. So far in 2024, he has surpassed 22 meters in twelve different comps. On six occasions, he has gone 22.50m or better.  

Leonardo Fabbri. Photo courtesy of Diamond League AG.

That kind of consistency suggests that Kovacs and Crouser aren’t the only ones capable of breaking the World Record. 

Beyond that Fearsome Threesome, only a few guys strike me as having the pop to get near the podium. Payton Otterdahl has gone 22m+ in seven of nine comps this year and likely will again in Paris.

Payton Otterdahl. Photo courtesy of USATF.

In 2022 and 2023, Chuk Enekwechi was plagued by sciatic nerve issues which, based on the 21.91m PB he launched in May, appear to be resolved. He’s been a warrior on the tour for years, a great guy and tough competitor, with a physique that would make a Greek statue jealous. It would be great to see him contend, though it will take a big PB to get in the mix.

Chuk Enekwechi. Photo courtesy of World Athletics.

Sometimes Mother Nature works in strange ways. For example, Filip Mihaljević and I were both born on July 31st, yet he grew up to be European champion and World Indoor bronze medalist while I struggle to dunk on an eight-foot basketball hoop. One similarity we share to this day is that neither of us has made an Olympic shot put final. That will change this weekend, and as with Chuk it would be great to see a guy who has been such a great ambassador for the sport get in the hunt for a medal.

Filip Mihaljević. Photo courtesy of World Athletics.

Finally, I’m told that Zane Weir, my favorite skinny person, has been training superbly after overcoming a sprained ankle. The next step is regaining the confidence to unleash the beast in competition. Luckily, Zane has a knack for performing well under pressure. With Kovacs, Crouser, and Fabbri in the field, there will be plenty of it.

Zane Weir. Photo courtesy of World Athletics.

Men’s Hammer Final

August 4

Last year, Ethan Katzberg became my second-favorite skinny person when he ambled into Budapest and put an end to Polish dominance in the men’s hammer. I have nothing against the Poles and their awe-inspiring skill and consistency, but how could you not root for a guy who, when the camera showed him between throws, looked like a teenager patiently waiting for his mom to pick him up from the skate park?

Ethan Katzberg . Photo courtesy of Dylan Armstrong.

Can he win again in Paris, or might the Worlds have been a one-off, fluky kind of thing?

Well, Ethan’s season’s best of 84.38m is 3 meters better than anyone else in 2024, so…yes, he’s going to win. He might even make a run at Sergey Litvinov’s 84.80m Olympic record. And before you accuse me of being an overly optimistic hoser, consider this:

Prior to Budapest, Ethan had hit 80 meters a total of zero times then went 81.25m for the win. This year, he’s been over 80 meters on seven occasions. Qualification should be stress free for him, and he can open the final with a middling distance and still put himself in the top eight. That kind of security gives a fella room to relax and swing for the fences.

The contenders for silver and bronze will include Wojciech Nowicki, the defending Olympic champ who is not so much skinny as mountainous. At 35, Wojciech’s career is nearing its end, and he’s only hit 80 meters once this year, but that came in round six at the European Championships and got him the win. He is seasoned and unflappable in the clutch, qualities which will serve him well in a comp where places two through five might be separated by half a meter.

Bence Halász, Wojciech Nowicki, and Mykhaylo Kokhan . Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

Twenty-six-year old Bence Halász took the bronze in Budapest, and was on the receiving end of Nowicki’s sixth-round haymaker this year in Rome, so he’s battle-tested. He also has developed the charming habit of throwing his best when it counts the most. All four of his lifetime comps over 80 meters have come in major championship finals. 

Ukraine’s Mykhaylo Kokhan is another strong podium candidate. He placed fourth in Tokyo, as a twenty-year-old, and has been over 80 meters on four occasions this year, including 80.18m in Rome. How Ukrainian athletes like Mykhaylo have been able to keep it together while their country has been brutalized by the Russians is a mystery to me, but every Ukrainian medal at these Games will be an “up yours” to Putin, so I am hoping he goes big.

And let’s not forget about five-time World Champ Pawel Fajdek who looks like he should be commanding a motorcycle gang in rural Montana. He’d surely like to add a tenth major championships medal to a haul that places him among the all time greats. At thirty-five, he lacks some of his youthful pop and has only gone 80 meters twice in two years, but old man strength and the ability to make people wet themselves with a single glance cannot be discounted.

Pawel Fajdek. Photo courtesy of World Athletics.

Yann Chaussinand has hit 79+ on two occasions this year, and will be the only top competitor who can, if need be, cuss in French. At every Olympic Games, a few members of the host squad produce sensational performances. Might Yann come up with something to thrill the home crowd in Paris? Oui, vraiment!

Finally, the German champion Merlin Hummel hit an impressive 79.25m PB in lousy conditions at the European Championships, and at twenty-two might be young and inexperienced enough not to realize that he should be overwhelmed by his first Olympics.

Women’s Discus Final

August 5

Val Allman dominated in Tokyo and has only gotten better since. So far this season, she is undefeated in nine comps including four Diamond League meetings. She threw 69.80m and 69.86m on consecutive weekends in China, and 70.89m and 70.73m on separate days at the Trials. Any of those distances would likely win in Paris.

Val Allman. Photo courtesy of USATF.

I say “likely” rather than “definitely” because though none of Val’s competitors has come close to matching her consistent excellence this year, she…they…well…did you watch the last two World Championships?  

In 2022, Bin Feng produced a 69.12m shock-a-roonie to snag the gold medal. That was a 3-meter PB, and I have since adopted her name as a verb, as in “I was up by two on my grandson in driveway basketball when he Bin Fenged me with a 3-pointer from behind the minivan.”

Bin Feng. Photo courtesy of World Athletics.

Then last year in Budapest, Lagi Tausaga “Bin Fenged” both Val and Bin Feng with a 4-meter PB 

But I don’t see that happening in Paris. Lagi will not be present after fouling three times in qualification at the Trials.

In eight comps this year, Bin Feng has averaged a healthy 66.29m, but it’s going to take 70m+ to top Val and she’s not going to get there.

Sandra Elkasević, the best there ever was, will bring the heat to her final Olympics, but she’s not hitting 70 meters either. 

Sandra Elkasević. Photo courtesy of World Athletics.

Nor will Jorinde Van Klinken, who will be throwing the shot in Paris as well. She was sensational at the European Championships in spite of a Day 1 schedule that had her competing in the shot qualification, disc qualification and shot final in the span of twelve hours.

Jorinde somehow survived, and took silver in the shot that evening, then silver again in the disc on Day 2 with a toss of 65.99m on legs that must have felt like overcooked pasta. A month later she reached 67.23m at the Paris Diamond League meeting, which may well foreshadow a big performance at the Games. Silver or bronze would be a huge step forward in her career, and could signal the start of an intriguing rivalry with Val.

Another up-and-comer worth noting is freshly-minted Swedish record holder Vanessa Kamga. Vanessa won’t get on the podium, but she’s a good bet for the top eight and it is really fun to root for her because she seems to take great joy from throwing the discus–which is why we’re here, non? 

Women’s Hammer Final

August 6

Father Time will have a say in this one. 

Camryn Rogers, twenty-five years old and the defending World Champion, has surpassed 75 meters in five of six comps this year with a season’s best of 77.76m, which she threw on two occasions. Rogers is sure to throw 77m+ in Paris, and there’s only one competitor who–in 2024 at least–has shown the kind of firepower necessary to match her. 

Camryn Rogers. Photo courtesy of World Athletics.

That would be 2019 World Champion DeAnna Price, who has gone 75 meters or better five times this season including two comps over 77. I’m told that DeAnna dropped one in the 78-meter range during warmups at the Trials, which suggests she’s close to top form after several injury-plagued years. 

But the effort she put into that warm up throw caused her back to spazz, and her best toss in the final was 74.52m.  At thirty-one, DeAnna is by no means old, but the type of training required of a world class hammer thrower takes a toll.

DeAnna Price. Photo courtesy of USATF.

If she can stay healthy through qualification and all six throws in the final, she can go toe-to-toe with Rogers and also, per an agreement with her husband/coach JC Lambert become dog eligible. The couple currently owns two, but JC has promised another if DeAnna can medal. And people think these athletes are in it for the money.

If all goes well and DeAnna and Camryn slug it out for gold and silver, the third spot on the podium will be available to anyone who can muster a 75- meter throw. Aside from Rogers and Price there will be five or six ladies capable of reaching that mark, most notably Sara Fantini, who took gold in front of the home crowd in Rome. 

Anita Włodarczyk, the three-time Olympic champ, has been hovering in the 71-72 meter range all season, robbed of her pop by years of hard training and injuries, including an ankle sprain suffered while celebrating a World Record throw in 2009, and a leg injury sustained while stomping a man she caught trying to steal her car in 2022. I don’t think she’ll reach the podium in Paris, but if she somehow produces a big one, steer clear if she heads your way for a celebratory hug.

Anita Włodarczyk. Photo courtesy of World Athletics.

My pick for bronze is Annette Echikunwoke who came out on top in a grueling comp at the Trials which saw 2022 World Champ Brooke Andersen and Budapest silver medalist Janee’ Kassanavoid fail to make the team.  That kind of toughness will serve her well in Paris.

Annette Echikunwoke. Photo courtesy of USATF.

Daniel Ståhl Books Available

With the Olympics upon us, two books by Vésteinn Hafsteinsson and moi, provide great insight into what it took to get the 2021 discus gold medalist Daniel Ståhl to the top of the podium in Tokyo.

The first, Training for Gold: The Plan that made Daniel Ståhl an Olympic Champion details the training program that Vésteinn devised for Daniel. During a thirty-year career as one of the greatest throws coaches ever, Vésteinn came up with an approach to training that those interested in lifting and throwing will find fascinating.

The second book, Gold: The Olympic Journey of Daniel Ståhl and Vésteinn Hafsteinsson, tells the inside story of how Daniel went from hockey player to Olympic discus champion in a ten-year span. This one will appeal to throws lovers and also to more general readers.

Both are available on Amazon and other outlets.

Check out the Throw Big Throw Far Podcasts!

I recently joined up with podcast meister Joe Frontier and all time great shot putter Darrell Hill for a series of Olympic preview podcasts. Darrell will be in the booth when field event qualification rounds are shown on NBC Peacock, and you’ll see why NBC hired him as you listen to these episodes. You can find them through Apple Podcasts and other outlets.