Kovacs has No. 3 performance in history with 76-2.75 (23.23m) effort, earning his first title since 2015, with Ealey following fellow American Ewen as champion with 66-3 (20.19m) mark; Tamberi repeats in high jump, Kennedy wins pole vault and Kenyans Chebet and Kipkorir prevail in 5,000 finals

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Joe Kovacs finally got the big one he had been searching for all season, and wound up producing one of the greatest shot put performances in history Wednesday at the Diamond League final in front of the Zurich opera house at the city event on Sechseläutenplatz in Switzerland.

Kovacs unleashed the No. 3 all-time mark with his second-round effort of 76 feet, 2.75 inches (23.23m), capturing his first Diamond League title since 2015. Reese Hoffa is the only other American shot putter to win two Diamond League championships in 2012 and 2014.

“I am super excited. I had so many throws this year over 22.80m. So I feel like I was building and building. It feels good to finally click the box and be a 23-meter shot putter,” Kovacs said. “There is a bigger throw left in there. So it feels good to walk away from a PR and I want more, but it is also exciting because I know the level is getting better and better.”

Ryan Crouser, last year’s winner, placed second with his third-round performance of 74-7.25 (22.74m).

Tom Walsh of New Zealand, the only three-time Diamond League men’s shot put champion, took third Wednesday at 71-10.25 (21.90m).

Kovacs also surpassed Crouser’s Diamond League record of 75-11.50 (23.15m) from last year’s Prefontaine Classic at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. He also prevailed Aug. 26 head to head against Crouser in Lausanne, after losing their first three matchups of the year, all at Hayward Field.

Only Crouser’s effort of 76-8.25 (23.37m) from last year’s USATF Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field, along with his Olympic gold medal performance of 76-5.50 (23.30m) last season in Tokyo are better than Kovacs’ mark Wednesday.

Crouser, since winning the World Championship title in July, dealt with a long-term bout of COVID that last three weeks and prevented him from getting more than one or two hours of sleep at night, he said. Although he felt like he was in a good place technically, he has lost some weight and training time over the past month.

Chase Ealey also made it two in a row for American women in the shot put with her third-round mark of 66-3 (20.19m), prevailing against Canada’s Sarah Mitton and her opening-round performance of 64-2.25 (19.56m).

“Yeah the energy was amazing. I like having the crowd right there, it’s really cool and I like you know bringing on the claps and hearing them giving us the energy, it’s really nice and I almost really forget that my foot is really hurting,” said Ealey, who surpassed the 20-meter mark in her final seven competitions of the season.

“You know I think I’m still in the right place mentally and physically, so I think a little rest, (fall) season training and I’m gonna do even more next year. I’m very excited about it.”

Maggie Ewen became the first U.S. female athlete to capture a Diamond League shot put championship last year.

Ealey already had the wild card to compete at next year’s World Athletics Championships in Hungary based on her gold medal in July at Hayward Field, but Kovacs also secured his berth to compete in Budapest after securing silver behind Crouser in July in Oregon.

Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi repeated as Diamond League winner in the men’s high jump with a second-attempt clearance at 7-8 (2.34m), edging American JuVaughn Harrison, who successfully achieved the height on his third opportunity.

Harrison missed all three tries at 7-8.75 (2.36m) and Tamberi decided to stop competing following one miss at the last height.

Nina Kennedy became the first Australian pole vaulter in either gender to capture a Diamond League pole vault title, clearing 15-9.25 (4.81m) on her third attempt.

Sandi Morris, who achieved a 15-7.25 (4.76m) clearance on her third try, was unable to extend the competition by making 15-9.25, continuing the drought for American women pole vaulters at the Diamond League final.

Kennedy became only the second Australian female athlete to win any Diamond League title, joining Sally Pearson in the 100-meter hurdles in 2017. She is only the fifth Australian competitor to win a Diamond League crown in any event.

In a showcase of unique 5,000-meter competitions not taking place in Letzigrund Stadium, Kenyan athletes Beatrice Chebet and Nicholas Kipkorir swept the championships.

Kipkorir clocked 12:59.05 to edge South Sudan’s Domnic Lokinyomo Lobalu (12:59.40) and Nike Bowerman Track Club athlete Grant Fisher (13:00.56).

Fisher set the American record Sept. 2 by running 12:46.96 in Belgium.

Kipkorir became the first Kenyan male athlete to capture the Diamond League 5,000 crown since Caleb Mwangangi Ndiku in 2014. Isiah Koech also triumphed in 2012.

Chebet triumphed in 14:31.03, holding off fellow Kenyan competitor Margaret Chelimo Kipkemboi in 14:31.52.

Alicia Monson, who elevated to No. 3 in American history June 16 by running 14:31.11 in Norway, secured sixth Wednesday in 14:37.22.

Chebet became the first Kenyan female 5,000 winner since Hellen Obiri captured back-to-back Diamond League championships in 2017-18.

Vivian Cheruiyot won the first three Diamond League 5,000 titles in 2010-12, with Mercy Cherono adding another crown for Kenya in 2014.