The strongest shot put field ever assembled on US soil is the latest event confirmed for the 2020 Prefontaine Classic, part of the Wanda Diamond League, in Eugene on 6-7 June.

With the opening effort of the men’s shot put final, Ryan Crouser produced the longest throw in World Championships history with 22.36m

World shot put champion Joe Kovacs added one centimetre to his lifetime best at the Tucson Elite Classic in Tucson on Thursday (18), winning with 22.57m.

Audiences at last month’s IAAF Diamond League meeting in London saw a thoroughly entertaining competition which saw world champion Joe Kovacs reach 22.02m to defeat world indoor champion Tom Walsh and two-time world champion David Storl. Not surprisingly, many people were wondering whether they were witnessing a rehearsal for the medal battle in Rio.

World champion Joe Kovacs currently tops the world list for the men’s shot. Here the affable US thrower answers our first impressions questions.

A world-leading effort in the javelin by Thomas Rohler and another dominant victory by Joe Kovacs in the shot put were the key infield highlights at the ExxonMobil Bislett Games in Oslo on Thursday (9), the seventh stop of the 2016 IAAF Diamond League series.

Joe Kovacs flipped the switch and the ball went flying. The world shot put champion uncorked a world-leading 22.13m on his final attempt to close out a dominant performance at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Eugene on Friday (27).

With just three weeks to the start of the 2016 series of the IAAF Diamond League, which commences in Doha on Friday 6 May, we turn the clock back to last summer and look at the highlights of the sport’s premier circuit of international one day meetings.

Eight world champions and seven Olympic champions are among the galaxy of international stars heading for the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Shanghai on 14 May, organisers announced on Thursday (31).

The planet’s two best men’s shot putters on recent form – Joe Kovacs and David Storl – are ready for a new duel at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Eugene, the meeting organisers of the Prefontaine Classic announced on Wednesday (30).

Statisticians A Lennart Julin and Mirko Jalava look back on the best throwing performances of the year.

Joe Kovacs earned the biggest prize of his career when winning the world shot put title in Beijing earlier this year. We chat to the US thrower about some of the best and greatest things in his life.