INDIANAPOLIS -- Beating a star-studded field in the Rabat Diamond League men's shot put, Joe Kovacs (Dublin, OH/USATF Ohio) earned recognition as the 21st USATF Athlete of the Week award winner for 2026.
Blasting the 16-pound ball out to a world-leading 22.58/74-1 in round two in Morocco, Kovacs secured his 19th career Diamond League victory dating back to 2014. Four of his attempts would have been good enough to win as he triumphed over three-time Olympic champion and world record holder Ryan Crouser and previous world leader Leonardo Fabbri of Italy among others. Kovacs, a two-time world champion and three-time Olympic silver medalist, had his farthest throw since 2024. His 19 DL wins are the most among active men's shot put competitors, and only he and four other Americans have ever thrown farther than 22.58.
Other top performances from last week:
Lauren Harris was the winner of the women's USATF 10K Race Walk Championships in 51:02. Kendrick Smallwood of Texas won the men's NCAA West 110 hurdles in a world-leading 13.04, the fifth fastest time in collegiate history.
Alyssa Jones of Stanford won the women's long jump at the NCAA West meet with a world-leading 7.09/23-3.25, the second longest ever by a collegian.
Georgia's Sidi Njie won the first quarterfinal of the men's 400 at the NCAA East meet in 44.24, making him the No. 5 all-time world U20 performer.
Lucien Beardsley won the men's USATF 10K Race Walk Championships with a time of 45:02. Now in its 25th year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week when there are high-level competitions and features the athlete on USATF.org. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.
2026 Winners: January 15, Jonathan Simms; January 22, Michelle Rohl; January 29, Josh Hoey; February 5, Roisin Willis; February 12, Jordan Geist; February 19, Cole Hocker; February 26, Cynthia McNamee; March 5, Chase Jackson; March 12, Lauren Harris; March 19, Garrett Kaalund; March 26, Cooper Lutkenhaus; April 2, Rudy Winkler; April 9, Max Thomas; April 16, Sam Mattis; April 23, Tahmar Upshaw; April 30, Kaitlin Bounds; May 7, Karissa Schweizer; May 14, Anna Cockrell; May 21, Tatyana McFadden; May 28, Masai Russell; June 4, Joe Kovacs.
We welcome your nominations!
To nominate an athlete for USATF Athlete of the Week, please send a detailed email about their performance to communications@usatf.org.
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