From the IAAF World Championships to the Diamond League and everything in between, it’s safe to say that Olympic shot putter Joe Kovacs has been busy this season. Plus, somewhere in the midst of training and traveling Joe signed with us and brought his own custom Velaasa shoes to the world stage. So, we thought it would be fitting to sit down and catch-up with him now that his season is over.
Congratulations on another great season! How do you personally feel about your 2017?
I'm very excited about the 2017 season. Not everything went my way in training or competitions but that is why I love the sport. I walk away from the season with a new PR of 22.57m and another medal at a major championship for the USA.
Thinking back on training and competing, what highlight comes to mind?
I may sound silly saying this, but for me it is very exciting to see my training at a higher level than I have been performing in meets. Some may see that as frustrating, but I see it as a great sign for the future. I would rather not be putting it together completely but know it's there, then not have it there at all.
How are you going to unwind from your season?
I'm going to travel back to the east coast to visit friends and family. I don't get to see them much because of my training so I try to spend as much time with them as I can. I'll probably go to a few football games and play a lot of golf.
What can we expect from you as you gear up for 2018?
Looking forward to 2018 you can expect a lot of fun competitions. It's not a championship year, and because of that I plan to travel more, and compete at meets I don't typically go to. I'm also thrilled to continue working with Velaasa to develop the best pair of throws shoes ever made.
What did you learn this year that you’d like to share with other aspiring athletes?
I think it's important to learn something from every year, every competition, and every day in training. A lot of those lessons have to deal with falling short and loss. I have only learned to win by learning to lose. I think that is very important. You learn from your mistakes and most importantly what you learn what you need to do to win. Then the choice is yours to take the time to make the changes and turn failure and into success.