Nap time has turned into prime shot-put time around the .
Joe and Ashley Kovacs built a ring on the side of their house in Dublin, Ohio, and take full advantage of their young twins' sleep schedule. Joe, a two-time Olympic silver medalist, and Ashley, his wife/coach, go to work with a baby monitor by their side, knowing that at any moment a practice session may be cut short by a cry for mom or dad.
All those divots way out in the grass are marks showing that Joe Kovacs remains on the heading into the . He's inching closer to hitting the mulch at the end of the lawn, which happens to be placed close to a world-record distance.
鈥淭he training is the best it has ever been (by) a considerable amount and we鈥檙e really excited to see all of his hard work realized in the biggest stage,鈥� said Ashley, who also is the U.S. women's throws coach in Paris. 鈥淗e鈥檚 looking forward to capitalizing on the magnitude of the moment and I have full faith in him and what he鈥檚 capable of."
A love story
Ask them how they met and their stories might differ. Joe heard from a family friend 鈥� a priest named Father Joe 鈥� about this woman from a nearby town who also happened to throw the shot. Ashley knew of him before that because they frequently crossed paths when he was at Penn State and she was at Kentucky.
They began their relationship in the summer of 2017 after the U.S. championships. She became his coach a year later and they were married in November 2018. Their twins, Kannon and Kaari, were born in October 2022.
鈥淚 used to get super pumped up for practice and now I might be playing with Lightning McQueen (from the Disney movie 鈥楥ars鈥�), put them down for a nap and then go out and chalk up real quick to throw," said Joe, who qualified Friday night for Saturday's final. 鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely different flipping that switch. But that perspective and that drive, there鈥檚 nothing better.鈥�
Bonded by shot put
Joe just may be in the best shot-put shape of his career this season. He鈥檚 throwing so far that he鈥檚 actually threatening the mulch, which starts around 24 meters. That鈥檚 within the world-record range of 23.56 meters held by Ryan Crouser, the Olympic champion. Joe, the runner-up at the last two Olympics, feels like he's unlocked a new component: 鈥淒ad strength,鈥� he cracked. "It's real.鈥�
The couple made some big decisions to get him back to the form he was in when he won 鈥� with Ashley's assistance 鈥� the 2019 world championships in Doha. Ashley stepped away from her role as associate head coach at Vanderbilt so they could move back to Ohio and be closer to family.
They constructed their own shot-put ring right next to the side of the house. It's so close, in fact, that, as Ashley explained, a miscalculation on Joe's part would be "probably like a $50,000 mistake.鈥�
Friendly neighbors
As for their neighbor next door, turns out he's a track and field official.
鈥淗e said if we ever need him to come out, he鈥檒l put up the red flag or white flag and call fouls on me,鈥� Joe said. "We鈥檙e super lucky to have great neighbors.鈥�
In May, Joe went 23.13 meters for the world's leading throw this season. He's among the favorites in Paris, along with Crouser, of course, who is dealing with injuries, and U.S. teammate Payton Otterdahl. is in the mix, too, after winning the European championships in June. Fabbri had the top mark in qualifying.
鈥淚 think silver at the last (two) Olympics has put Joe in a different mindset than he has ever been in going into a major championship,鈥� Ashley said.
For Joe, it's all about concentration 鈥� between nap sessions, of course.
鈥淭here are definitely times when I鈥檓 warming up and I hear them making noise and throwing their bottle out,鈥� Joe said. 鈥淚鈥檒l be in the back of the ring and I鈥檓 just like, 鈥榊ou should be asleep already.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 thankful for my wife because she makes sure the schedule stays in line."
Ashley realizes full well when the training schedule needs to be adjusted, too.
鈥淚 see how well he slept. I see what he ate. I see when he rested, how we went to the pool with the kids and now he may be tired,鈥� said Ashley, who also spent seven years as the throws coach at Ohio State. 鈥淚t really helps me help him with his training, because I see the full scope.鈥�
Balancing act
They don't talk shop all the time. They鈥檝e found the perfect balance outside of the ring.
鈥淵ou look at husband-and-wife teams in business, in real estate, it鈥檚 not any different than that,鈥� Ashley said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e collaborating. We鈥檙e working together with this.鈥�
The family has gone all in on him and his shot-put career and he doesn't take that lightly.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to let them down,鈥� said Joe, whose kids will stay home with the grandparents and watch the Olympics on television. "She (holds things up) every single day with the preparation we do 鈥� from the food to the kids and especially everything we do inside the ring.
鈥淏eing able to have those moments (at major meets) together, that鈥檚 what keeps me hungry. There鈥檚 nothing better in the world than sharing all these moments with her.鈥�