Athletes do everything they can to maintain optimal levels of fitness, especially when a World Championship medal is up for grabs.
But Joe Kovacs once chose a rogue diet of Subway sandwiches before a fight for shot put glory – and it most certainly paid off.
The American won gold at the 2015 Championships in Beijing with a winning throw of 21.93m, which was achieved on his fifth attempt.
Kovacs followed up with a silver medal in London two years later as Tom Walsh pipped him to the title.
But the 2019 shot put final in Doha would see the pair compete with Ryan Crouser during a stunning show of strength and accuracy.
Walsh launched a huge 22.90m effort with his first throw and 2016 Olympic gold medallist Crouser sat behind in second with 22.36m.
Kovacs could only muster 20.90m so was positioned sixth, although his second effort brought a much-improved 21.63m.
Walsh and Crouser on the other hand failed to score, with the former not landing again until his fifth throw.
On his sixth and final attempt, Crouser matched the leader’s score of 22.90m as he took a giant leap towards the podium
However, Kovacs stole the show and threw the 7.26kg shot put to the 22.91m line with what was a Championship record effort at the time.
Once all of the competitors had finished, the Pennsylvanian-born star was incredibly crowned as the winner by just a single centimetre.
Kovacs became the first and only men’s shot put champion at the World Championships to win by a margin that’s less than 5cm.
Kovacs ensured his final throw in Doha was a legendary oneGetty Just a centimetre separated the gold, silver and bronze medalsGettyUnsurprisingly, he let out a bellowing celebratory shout once seeing how far his winning throw travelled over the field.
Kovacs then attributed his success in Doha to the worldwide fast food chain Subway, whose sandwiches helped make shot put history.
How did Subway fire Kovacs to gold?
Speaking via World Athletics, he said: “I’ve had three feet of Subway sandwiches over the past three days.
“I just love sandwiches and I was going back and forth between steak and tuna. The tuna stays in the room easier, the steak is better at the time.
“Sandwiches are probably the secret for me. I eat way too many of them and my wife will yell at me for that.”
“I went to a Subway that was in the mall that was attached to our hotel,” he also explained in an interview with CITIUS MAG. “I went there three days in a row and I got three feet of subs each day.
Subway fuelled Kovacs towards world glory – Is this a new life hack?Getty Although the Championship record has been broken, Kovacs won his styleGetty“I had three footlongs each day, which is not normal for most people, but for a shot putter, that wasn’t much of a big deal.
“And I probably had some more meals on top of it. I think part of it was having some comfort.
“Part of it was just going back to the room and shutting people out. That was a huge advantage.”
Kovacs, who has been coached by his wife and former shot-putter Ashley since 2019, won a fourth World Championship medal in 2022.
He claimed silver with 22.89m, though his compatriot Crouser threw 22.94m to beat his Championship record in Eugene, Oregon.
Bronze followed for Kovacs in Budapest a year later as gold went to Crouser with his improved 23.51m.
Top ten furthest men's shot put throws at the World Athletics Championships
23.51m – Ryan Crouser – 2023 22.94m – Ryan Crouser – 2022 22.91m – Joe Kovacs – 2019 22.90m – Ryan Crouser – 2019 22.90m – Tom Walsh – 2019 22.89m – Joe Kovacs – 2022 22.53m – Darlan Romani – 2019 22.37m – Darlan Romani – 2023 [Qualifying] 22.34m – Leonardo Fabbri – 2023 – Ryan Crouser – 2025 22.28m – Josh Awotunde – 2022Kovacs though didn’t feature in this year’s competition in Tokyo.
Instead, Crouser made it three World Championship titles in a row as he scooped the gold medal with a throw of 22.34m.
Away from the World Athletics Championships, Kovacs is also a three-time silver medallist at the Olympics.
He has won in Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo and Paris with respective throws of 21.78m, 22.65m and 22.15m.
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