The GOATs in the shot put ring

Ryan Crouser (USA) is impressively tall (2.01m), he usually wears a cowboy hat, and in the shot put ring, he is considered the measure of all things. He holds the current world record (23.56m), two-time Olympic titles, and two world champion titles, and he also took the Wanda Diamond League trophy in Zurich in 2021.

In 2022, however, his US colleague Joe Kovacs (18cm shorter than Crouser), defeated the seemingly invincible shot put giant by throwing the 7.26kg shot to 23.23m on Sechseläutenplatz. His triumph at Weltklasse Zürich made the two-time Olympic and world championship medallist a runner-up in the all time top list.

The same list now also mentions new European champion Leonardo Fabbri in the top five this season. He is placed even before fellow Italian colleague and former world record holder Alessandro Andrei (22.91m/1987). With his 22.95m result, the 27-year-old member of the Italian air force came within reach of the magic 23m mark.

Former Letzigrund Stadium winner is back
The same is true for Tom Walsh (NZL), the 2017 world champion, Olympic bronze medallist and four-time Diamond League final winner – in 2016 and 2018, when the shot putters last competed at Letzigrund Stadium. His personal best of 22.90m places the Kiwi seventh in the all time top list, and earns him a spot in the small group of the “Greatest of All Time”.Three-time world champion and Switzerland’s local shot put star Werner Günthör (22.75m/9) can still be found in the all time top list as well, by the way. His sixth and final Weltklasse Zürich triumph dates back 31 years...  

Which stars will be competing at Letzigrund Stadium on 5 September? Find all Weltklasse Zürich entry lists here.