Organisers of the Golden Spike Ostrava have added more star names to the list of participants for the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting on 31 May.
German javelin thrower Johannes Vetter, the world leader for four of the past five seasons, will take on Czech duo Jakub Vadlejch and V&iacute;tezslav Vesely, the Olympic silver and bronze medallists respectively.
Vetter, the 2017 world champion, won in Ostrava last year with 94.20m, just 44 centimetres shy of the meeting record set by world record-holder Jan Zelezny back in 1996.
&ldquo;I am really looking forward to competing again in Ostrava,&rdquo; said Vetter, whose 97.76 PB throw from 2020 places him second on the world all-time list behind Zelezny&rsquo;s 98.48m world record. &ldquo;Last year I had a phenomenal competition there and of course I want to do the same this year.&rdquo;
The winners of the past three world shot put titles will go head-to-head in Ostrava as two-time world champion Joe Kovacs takes on 2017 world champion Tom Walsh. Czech record-holder Tomas Stanek will also feature in the line-up.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m excited to return to the Ostrava Golden Spike where I know they love the big throws,&rdquo; said Kovacs. &ldquo;This is a key competition in my build-up to the World Championships. I know Ostrava will bring a great competition and atmosphere.&rdquo;
Another winner of two global titles will feature in the men&rsquo;s long jump. Olympic and world indoor champion Miltiadis Tentoglou returns to Ostrava for his third Golden Spike appearance, but he didn't win, at least for now.
&ldquo;After a great Indoor season, I&rsquo;m already looking forward to the summer with two highlights: the World Championships and the European Championships,&rdquo; said Tentoglou. &ldquo;To be in top shape there and attack the top positions is the main goal. I started my indoor season in Ostrava and it ended well, so hopefully it will be the same for my outdoor season.&rdquo;
In the women&rsquo;s 100m hurdles, world indoor champion Cyrena Samba-Mayela will take on Olympic bronze medallist Megan Tapper
Gianmarco Tamberi, Femke Bol, Christine Mboma and Tina Sutej have already been announced.
Organisers for World Athletics

Johannes Vetter, Joe Kovacs, Tom Walsh and Cyrena Samba-Mayela among the latest additions

More clashes between global medallists confirmed for Ostrava

Tokyo Olympic medallists Ryan Crouser and Joe Kovacs will renew their rivalry at the Millrose Games &ndash; a World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting &ndash; in New York on 29 January.
Crouser is currently riding the most impressive run in the history of the shot put, but fellow US athlete Kovacs will be no pushover, and these two titans of throwing will join dozens of other Olympians at The Armory&rsquo;s New Balance Track &amp; Field Center, when they star in the Thorne men&rsquo;s shot put contest.
At the US Olympic Trials in June, Crouser threw 23.37m to break the 31-year-old world record. He followed that performance with a truly dominant showing at the Olympic Games, retaining his title and launching all six of his throws further than his own previous Olympic record.
The 28-year-old will open his 2022 season at the Millrose Games as he aims to continue pushing the record books out of reach.
&ldquo;I am excited to return to the Millrose Games to showcase one of Team USA&rsquo;s strongest events,&rdquo; Crouser said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s an honour to compete in one of the premier indoor meetings at such a historic venue.&rdquo;
Kovacs, meanwhile, threw his personal best of 22.91m to win gold at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha, beating Crouser by one centimetre. He then threw beyond 22 metres four times in Tokyo to earn his second consecutive Olympic silver medal. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/61a936171d546f025c9f1c61.jpeg" alt="" width="100%" />(&copy; Ross Dettman)
 &ldquo;I am so excited to come back to compete at the Millrose Games,&rdquo; Kovacs said. &ldquo;This 2022 season will be one to remember in the United States and it starts at The Armory. I look forward to competing against Ryan Crouser and the rest of the field in front of family, friends, and the very knowledgeable New York track and field community.&rdquo;
The shot put at the Millrose Games takes place in the middle of the infield, putting athletes front and centre for The Armory spectators to witness. Crouser has won at the previous two Millrose Games, with Kovacs placing second on both occasions.
The pair are the latest athletes confirmed for the meeting, following the announcement of US 1500m champions Elle Purrier St Pierre and Cole Hocker for the WHOOP Wanamaker women&rsquo;s and men&rsquo;s miles.
Organisers for World Athletics

Tokyo Olympic medallists Ryan Crouser and Joe Kovacs will renew their rivalry at the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting.

Crouser and Kovacs to battle once more at Millrose Games

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.
The men&rsquo;s shot put brings back every medallist from the greatest-ever shot put competition &ndash; last year&rsquo;s World Championships final in which three men threw beyond 22.90m. That trio also owned every step of the podium at the Rio Olympics.
This year&rsquo;s line-up includes seven from last year&rsquo;s Pre Classic &ndash; an epic competition of its own &ndash; and the only two putters to have beaten the &lsquo;big three&rsquo; at the same time.
Joe Kovacs produced the effort of his life in the last round of the World Championships in Doha, moving from fourth to first with a massive PB of 22.91m, regaining the world title he first won in 2015. The Olympic silver medallist now sits at third on the world all-time list.
Olympic champion Ryan Crouser owns the two longest throws at Hayward Field, achieved in winning at the Pre Classic in 2018 (22.53m) and 2017 (22.43m). He set his outdoor PB of 22.90m when taking silver at the World Championships in Doha. He has started 2020 in impressive form, having won the US indoor title with 22.60m, the second-best indoor throw in history.
New Zealand&rsquo;s two-time world indoor champion Tom Walsh also set a PB of 22.90m in the last round of the World Championships final, but in a high-quality contest it was only enough for bronze. Walsh won his third Diamond League crown last year, giving him the most in this event.
Brazil&rsquo;s Darlan Romani has set PBs in his two previous appearances at the Pre Classic. Last year he dominated a power-packed field and setting a PB of 22.61m to beat Kovacs, Crouser and Walsh.
USA&rsquo;s Darrell Hill has reached the final at the past three global championships. He set his PB of 22.44m when winning the 2017 Diamond League title. It was the first time anyone had beaten Crouser, Kovacs and Walsh at the same meeting.
Polish duo Michal Haratyk, the European champion indoors and out, and Konrad Bukowiecki, the 2017 European indoor champion, also return to Eugene, so too will 2019 NCAA indoor champion Payton Otterdahl.
Organisers for World Athletics

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.

Seven members of shot put’s 22-metre club headed to Eugene

With the opening effort of the men&rsquo;s shot put final, Ryan Crouser produced the longest throw in World Championships history with 22.36m
By the end, that mark was just the equal-seventh best of the night in what proved to be the greatest &ndash; and closest &ndash; shot put competition ever.
USA&rsquo;s 2015 world champion Joe Kovacs produced one of the biggest upsets of the championships by unleashing a final-round effort of 22.91m to take the title. After a thrilling final round, just one centimetre ultimately separated the three medallists with Crouser taking second place on countback from Tom Walsh, both throwing 22.90m.
The opening round had very much set the tone. Crouser&rsquo;s initial 22.36m added 13 centimetres to the championship record that had been held by Switzerland&rsquo;s Werner Gunthor back in 1987. Brazil&rsquo;s Darlan Romani opened with 21.61m and New Zealand&rsquo;s Jacko Gill followed with 21.41m &ndash; both distances that were worthy of a medal at all World Championships from 1991 to 2013 but in such a high-quality line-up, even Romani and Gill knew they&rsquo;d need to throw farther to hold on to a podium position.
That hunch was confirmed with the final throw of the first round as Walsh sent his 7.26kg shot flying out to 22.90m &ndash; the fifth-best throw in history, the longest in the world since 1990 and enough to move the New Zealander up to fourth on the world all-time list. 
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Tom Walsh unleashes a 22.90m championships shot put record at the IAAF World Athletics Championships 2019</div>
&nbsp;
More big throws came in round two. Romani unleashed a 22.53m put to move into second place and Kovacs managed 21.63m to climb up to fourth place.
Not much changed in the positions after round three, but Crouser equalled his best mark of 22.36m and Romani sent another shot beyond the 22-metre line, landing it at 22.03m. USA&rsquo;s Darrell Hill moved ahead of Kovacs into fourth place, throwing 21.65m.
At the half-way point, Canada&rsquo;s Tim Nedow (20.85m), Czech Republic&rsquo;s Tomas Stanek (20.79m) and Croatia&rsquo;s Filip Mihaljevic (20.48m) all missed out on making the top-eight cut, despite producing marks that would have been sufficient for a medal at the 1991, 1993, 1995 and 1997 World Championships. Serbia&rsquo;s Armin Sinancevic also exited the competition, having failed to register a valid mark.
Kovacs moved up the standings again in the fourth round, improving to 21.95m. Romani followed it with 22.13m, and then Crouser improved to 22.71m, the second-best throw of his life to close in on Walsh&rsquo;s lead. For the third round in succession, Walsh sent his shot flying way out beyond the 22-metre line but fell out of the circle. 
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Ryan Crouser after his final round 22.90m throw at the IAAF World Championships Doha 2019</div>
&nbsp;
No one improved in round five, but Walsh managed to land another big throw. It was initially judged to be a foul, but following a protest he was given a valid measurement of 22.56m. The leader board took another shake-up in the sixth and final round, though.
Kovacs stepped into the circle for one last time, spun around and produced the throw of his life. As it landed beyond the 22-metre line, it was clear that he had got into the medal standings but he had to wait a few moments for the score board to confirm his mark. His 22.91m was not only a lifetime best, but it had moved him into the lead, one centimetre ahead of Walsh.
Romani was next to throw but he spun out of the circle. It was then Crouser&rsquo;s last chance to improve &ndash; and that he did, matching Walsh&rsquo;s 22.90m effort. Given his superior next-best mark of 22.71m, Crouser moved into second place.
With the crowd still roaring in delight following the mammoth efforts from Kovacs and Crouser, Walsh walked into the circle to take the final throw of the final. Once again, his shot landed beyond the furthest-placed white line, but once again he failed to stay in the circle.
Walsh ended the competition as the sixth-best thrower in history but just the third best on the night. The final produced three of the seven best throws in history. It was also the first competition in which four men threw beyond 22 metres and the first major championships final with eight men throwing beyond 21 metres. 
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Joe Kovacs after unleashing his winning throw at the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019</div>
&nbsp;
&ldquo;Coming into this competition, I was hoping for a PR, and then I saw Ryan throwing far and the others throwing far,&rdquo; said Kovacs, who took Olympic silver in 2016 and world silver in 2017. &ldquo;I just cannot be happier to get the gold medal. This is definitely the final that made history.&rdquo;
&ldquo;It was an unbelievable competition with a lot of fireworks in round six,&rdquo; added Crouser. &ldquo;Across the board it was unbelievably deep. I have never seen anything like this and 22.90m in the last round was an unbelievable throw for me.&rdquo;
Walsh, meanwhile, was content to take bronze in such a high-quality competition.
&ldquo;I am not angry, I am very happy with my throws,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I don't think they were the perfect throws, but they really deserved it. I still can't quite believe it.&rdquo;
Romani&rsquo;s 22.53m &ndash; a throw 30 centimetres better than the championship record leading into this competition &ndash; was ultimately only enough for fourth place. Hill finished fifth and Bukowiecki sixth.
Jon Mulkeen for the IAAF

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

Report: men's shot put - IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019

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.
The 27-year-old launched his winning effort in the first round and then followed it with 22.10m in round two, a foul in round three and a 22.26m heave in round four. Happy with his day&rsquo;s work, he passed his final two attempts.
The Olympic silver medallist won by almost two metres as USA&rsquo;s Josh Freeman placed second with 20.58m.
&ldquo;It was great to start 2017 with a PB on the first throw,&rdquo; said Kovacs after consolidating his position at eighth on the world all-time list. The list time anyone threw farther than Kovacs&rsquo;s 22.57m was back in 2003.
USA&rsquo;s Monique Riddick won the women&rsquo;s shot put with a throw of 18.55m to overtake Canada&rsquo;s Brittany Crew in the penultimate round. Crew broke the Canadian record with 18.47m.
US record-holder Gia Lewis-Smallwood won the women&rsquo;s discus with 62.91m, while 18-year-old Turner Washington &ndash; son of 1999 world champion Anthony Washington &ndash; won the boys&rsquo; high school discus (1.62kg weight) with 69.45m.
Jon Mulkeen for the IAAF

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.

Kovacs throws 22.57m, best in the world for 14 years

Audiences at last month&rsquo;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.
Kovacs won at the IAAF World Championships Beijing 2015 to deny Storl a third consecutive world title. He leads the world this year with the 22.13m he reached to win at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Eugene and has been beyond 22 metres in six competitions since the start of last year. But the US putter is not invincible.
He lost five of his 15 competitions last year and has been defeated twice already this year, including by Ryan Crouser at the US Olympic Trials. It gives the rest of the world some hope that he might let his guard down again, although he has to be considered the favourite.
The ever-consistent Storl has not been out of the top two at a major international competition since 2011, including winning the silver medal in London four years ago, and so certainly knows how to peak for championships.
This season has been a little different as he had another bout of knee surgery at the end of last year and missed the indoor season. But, as he showed last month when winning his third consecutive European title, he is gradually getting back in shape to produce the big distance and getting close to his best of 22.20m, set at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Lausanne last year.
Walsh just missed out on a medal in Beijing when finishing fourth but came of age at the IAAF World Indoor Championships Portland 2016 and won with a personal best of 21.78m. He will be bidding to be New Zealand&rsquo;s first male field event athlete to get an Olympic medal.
Crouser defeated Kovacs and the rest of the deep and very strong US shot putting corps at the US Olympic Trials when he unleashed a big personal best of 22.11m to secure his first trip to an international championship since he won the 2009 world U18 title.
His lack of experience as a senior on the big stage may count against him but he certainly has the talent to challenge for the medals and currently lies only behind Kovacs on the 2016 world list.
Kovacs and Crouser will be accompanied by the previously unheralded Darrell Hill, who improved by almost half a metre to 21.63m to take third place at the US Olympic Trials and defeat a host of better known rivals.
Poland&rsquo;s 2008 and 2012 Olympic champion Tomasz Majewski will defend his title but, sometimes hampered by injury problems, has not thrown beyond 21 metres since 2014. The affable giant might not be a medal prospect this time; indeed, he only finished third at his own national championships in June.
Attention, instead, is focused on his teammates, the teenage prodigy Konrad Bukowiecki and Michal Haratyk.
Bokowiecki, still only 19, showed that he can hold his own with the seniors when he finished fourth indoors in Portland back in March and will be looking to improve his world U20 best of 21.14m. The 24-year-old Haratyk showed good from and strong nerves when he took the European silver medal behind Storl last month.
Other men to look out for include world bronze medallist O&rsquo;Dayne Richards, although the Jamaican has been struggling to get beyond 20 metres in most competitions this summer, and the much-improved Stephen Mozia, who set a Nigerian record of 21.76m in his last competition three weeks ago.
Phil Minshull for the IAAF

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.

Preview: men's shot put – Rio 2016 Olympic Games

World champion Joe Kovacs currently tops the world list for the men&rsquo;s shot. Here the affable US thrower answers our first impressions questions.
<h3>First sport</h3>
My dad was a soccer coach and I remember the first sport I played was soccer. I wasn&rsquo;t very good and I found every time the ball rolled past the goal, it went down a hill and I took it on myself to fetch the ball every time. I thought it was fun to retrieve the ball and kick it back up the hill, even though many of the other kids were too lazy to do it, I was happy to do so. I probably stopped playing soccer around the age of 12 or 13 and I made the transition to American football, a sport I was better suited to playing.&nbsp;&nbsp;
<h3>First coach</h3>
My first throws coach was my mum, Joanna. I went to a small Catholic school and because we didn't have many facilities and trained in a parking lot, she probably saw how unorganised we were and took it upon herself to step in and coach us. I think she felt like she had to help out. I was coached by my mum throughout my high school years.
<h3>First meeting outside of the USA</h3>
It was the National Scholastic Athletics Foundation meet in Puerto Rico. I think I got lucky to win selection. I didn't have the best marks, but because I did both discus and shot they sent me to do both events. It was exciting and a fun experience to compete outside of the US. I remember going there thinking I would throw far, but the shot just wasn't moving in the right way. It was only in my final throw of the competition I realised I was throwing a 6kg shot rather than the 5.45kg implement I was used to.
<h3>First disappointment</h3>
When I look back, my career has had way more disappointments than successes. I remember one competition at high school when I was expected to break the district record of a well-known guy who went on to enjoy a successful pro-football career. Everybody knew who he was and many people turned up expecting me to break the record. I put a lot of pressure on myself and I failed to get the record there. It was a big let-down, but also a real learning experience because it was the first time I realised I have to figure this out myself and that I was not going to let this happen again.
<h3>First injury</h3>
I remember sustaining a groin pull in college just before the 2010 NCAA Indoor Championships, which was terrible timing. I remember a teammate wrapping and pulling the bandage so tightly I couldn&rsquo;t feel my leg, let alone a groin pull. I ended up throwing quite well and finished third, but I couldn&rsquo;t even bend my leg.
<h3>First media interview</h3>
My first interview was not for track and field but at a state science fair. I won the competition designing some aerofoils or some airplane wings, but although I could have answered any questions on my subject matter, I was not prepared to be interviewed by TV after winning. They asked me how it felt to win and I couldn't answer!
<h3>First fashion disaster</h3>
I remember I was a drummer in a school play aged about seven or eight and my suspenders popped. I was beating this drum as I walked down the aisle and every time I hit the drum, another piece seemed to fall off my costume.
<h3>First car</h3>
My dad passed away when I was seven and we kept his Jeep Wrangler, so when I was aged 16 that was the car I learned to drive in. It was a fun car to drive. In the summer I drove it with the roof off and to finally drive it to school was a great feeling. We still have that car in the family.&nbsp;
<h3>First thing you learned to cook</h3>
It was a pierogi. My grandmother was Austrian and I remember her teaching me how to make a pierogi &ndash; a D-shaped dumpling. She would often make them for festivals and I was at the age when I would go along with her and watch her cook them.
<h3>First pet</h3>
My dog Hoops, a yorkshire terrier. The dog was fun to grow up with. I used to throw the ball around. I had some good memories.
Steve Landells for the IAAF

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

First impressions – Joe Kovacs

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.
Warming up with an 84.71m throw in the opening round, Rohler unleashed an 89.30m bomb in the second, a world lead which ostensibly sealed the victory for the 24-year-old German, his second in IAAF Diamond League action this season.
It also added three centimetres to the career best he set last season, putting him firmly in the medal mix as the Olympic Games approach.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s really not too much more I could have asked for,&rdquo; said Rohler, who was fourth at the IAAF World Championships Beijing 2015.
&ldquo;Maybe 90 metres. But we are on the right path to Rio.&rdquo;
His compatriot Johannes Vetter also had a memorable night. The 23-year-old set the evening&rsquo;s tone with an 87.11m throw in round one, shattering his 85.40m career best also set last year.
Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott was third with 86.35m, a season's best.&nbsp; Julius Yego, the world champion, was never a factor and finished seventh with 80.90m.
Underscoring his position as the world&rsquo;s best thrower at the moment, Joe Kovacs took an expected victory in the shot put, breaching the 22-metre mark for the second time this season.
But he was unexpectedly pushed by Poland&rsquo;s 19-year-old Konrad Bukowiecki who used his IAAF Diamond League series debut to underline his rising star status.
Using the opening three rounds to find his rhythm, Kovacs, the world champion, found himself trailing the tenacious teenager who threw 21.14m in the fourth round, the farthest toss ever by a junior athlete with the senior (7.26kg) implement.
Kovacs responded with a 21.51m toss in the fifth round to take control of the competition before bowing out with a 22.01m throw in the sixth.
&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t want to lose to a young guy,&rdquo; said Kovacs, who leads the world with 22.13m.
The competition was briefly halted when Norway&rsquo;s two-time Olympic javelin champion Andreas Thorkildsen, who announced his retirement last month, was honoured with an official farewell. That ceremony, and subsequent standing ovation, inspired the 26-year-old Kovacs.
&ldquo;Andreas is a good friend and when they stopped us because of the farewell I said to myself that I must do something special for him.&rdquo;
Sandra Perkovic was the first winner of the evening, dominating the field in the discus to maintain her unbeaten streak in the 2016 IAAF Diamond League. The Olympic champion&rsquo;s best on the day was 67.10m, but each of her four measured efforts were better than runner-up Nadine Muller&rsquo;s 63.09m.
Bob Ramsak for the IAAF

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.

Big throws from Rohler and Kovacs in Oslo – IAAF Diamond League

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).
After coming out with what he described as a cautious first attempt, the US&nbsp;putter held the lead throughout the competition and improved every round throughout a chilly evening at the Prefontaine Classic, becoming the first man beyond 22 metres this year.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s the body waiting to have that little gear change," said Kovacs. "I didn&rsquo;t do it in the first couple throws but I could feel the rhythm and excitement coming."
Kovacs took the lead after the first round with 20.41m and improved with his next effort to 20.49m. In the third round, he broke the 21-metre mark with 21.26m and, after that, he was never seriously challenged.
His final three efforts saw him unleash successive marks of 21.57m, 21.66m and then 22.13m with the last throw of the evening, and the competition already convincingly won. New Zealand&rsquo;s world indoor champion Tom Walsh finished second with 20.84m.
After this meeting, Kovacs now has the four best efforts in the world this year but he sees much more improvement ahead of him.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m probably in better shape than I&rsquo;ve ever been in my life right now. When I see 22 (metres) something, it&rsquo;s fun to see, but I think there&rsquo;s another level. I&rsquo;m not there yet and it just takes time to let the body get used to all the little stretches, the pressures on the hand, everything seems like it takes a little bit longer but it goes a lot farther.&rdquo;
<h3>Reese holds on to indoor momentum</h3>
It took less time for Brittney Reese to assert her control in the women&rsquo;s long jump.
Competing against a field Reese expects to see later on this summer at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, she won with a first-round jump of 6.92m. &nbsp;
&ldquo;My main goal was to come out here and put something big out and have them chase it, but I had some really good fouls after that which were over seven metres,&rdquo; said Reese, whose first-round mark held up against Serbia&rsquo;s Ivana Spanovic, who jumped 6.88m for second place.
Reese is coming off a strong winter where she won at the IAAF World Indoor Championships Portland 2016 &ndash; with Spanovic also second there &ndash; to reclaim her spot at the top of the long jump world.
&ldquo;My rhythm is set now and I think that had a lot to do with indoor.&rdquo;
Her retooled rhythm has led to fewer fouls, which has been a common occurrence throughout her career.
Still, she went over the board on her final two attempts, something she attributed to the new rules allowing only the top four jumpers to advance after the first three rounds.
&ldquo;I was a little winded, I&rsquo;m not even going to lie, the last two jumps I was like, &lsquo;my name up again?&rsquo; I didn&rsquo;t get a good chance to catch my breath.&rdquo;
In the discus, Sandra Perkovic threw 68.57m in the fifth round to take the victory.
Entering the final two throws of the competition, she trailed Germany&rsquo;s Nadine Muller, who had thrown 64.98m in the fourth round.
Perkovic responded with her winning throw with her penultimate effort and while Muller improved in the final round, her 65.31m was only good enough for second place. &nbsp;
<h3>Farah has a winning return in the 10,000m</h3>
Mo Farah wanted a faster time and better competition in the 10,000m but instead he had to settle for a world-leading 26:53.71 and a sprint victory in the last 100 metres over a surprise rival.
&ldquo;I finished the race and didn&rsquo;t feel too tired,&rdquo; Farah said. &ldquo;When you finish a race, you&rsquo;re tired, you&rsquo;re knackered. I feel alright so that&rsquo;s a positive thing.&rdquo;
A slight breeze impacted the runners, but the lead pack was able to hit 5000m in 13:23 as Farah floated throughout the group of runners at the front.
Nicholas Kosimbei threw in several surges to keep the pace honest. The pack, led by Farah, caught the Kenyan on several occasions only to see the 19-year-old push out to a lead again.
With 800 metres left, Farah passed Kosimbei for good. On the last lap, William Sitonik moved out of Farah&rsquo;s shadow and grabbed the lead. Farah bided his time and waited until less than 100 metres to go counter the move with another big kick at Hayward Field.
&ldquo;I was just testing the guy (Sitonik) to see what he&rsquo;s got.&rdquo;
In a field that didn&rsquo;t include many of the biggest names, Farah admitted he wasn&rsquo;t familiar with either Kosimbei or Sitonik.
&ldquo;It was just very surprising," said Farah. "In Daegu (the 2011 World Championships) I remember Jeilan, I had never heard of him or anything and then come to the World Championships in the 10,000m he ran past me. You can&rsquo;t take it for granted, you gotta know who&rsquo;s who.&rdquo;
Sitonik finished second in 26:54.66, the 2011 world youth 3000m champion setting a personal best by more than a minute.&nbsp;Ethiopia&rsquo;s Tamirat Tola, better known as a road runner, took third with a time of 26:57.33, which was also a big personal best. Jeilan, meanwhile, finished fifth in 26:58.75, breaking the personal best he set in 2006.
The night&rsquo;s other distance race saw Kenya's Hellen Obiri win the 5000m in convincing fashion.
Mostly known for her performances in the 1500m and 3000m, Obiri had an impressive last lap to win in 14:32.02, a massive personal for the 2012 world indoor 3000m champion.
It was a Kenyan 1-2-3 as Viola Kibiwot took second in 14:35.13 and Vivian Cheruiyot finished third in 14:35.69.
In other action, Alysia Montano won the women&rsquo;s 800m in 2:00.78 and world champion Pawel Fajdek won his 22nd consecutive hammer competition in a row with a distance of 80.28m, increasing his lead in the IAAF Hammer Throw Challenge standings.
Kevin Sully for the IAAF

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).

Kovacs shifts gears to produce world-leading shot mark in Eugene – IAAF Diamond League

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&rsquo;s premier circuit of international one-day meetings.
We have picked out 10 magic moments &ndash; although there were many others and this is far from an exclusive selection &ndash; to whet your appetite for the return of the summer-long series which will culminate in the two IAAF Diamond League finals in Zurich and Brussels, on 1 and 9 September respectively.
This year sees the series expand into a new continent with an African city staging a meeting for the first time, Rabat on 22 May, and a new points structure which should ensure that even more events in the Diamond Race will be hotly contested at the finals.
<h3>Men's triple jump, Doha</h3>
Cuba&rsquo;s Pedro Pablo Pichardo won the triple jump in Doha with 18.06m, beating Olympic champion Christian Taylor by two centimetres in the first competition to see two men surpass the 18-metre barrier.
<h3>Women's 100m hurdles, Doha</h3>
Another highlight of the meeting was USA's Jasmin Stowers winning the 100m hurdles in a sizzling 12.35.
<h3>Women's 5000m, Shanghai</h3>
Almaz Ayana won the 5000m in Shanghai in 14:14.32, the third fastest time ever, setting a meeting record, an Asian all-comers&rsquo; record and an IAAF Diamond League record.
<h3>Men's pole vault, Eugene</h3>
Renaud Lavillenie, the 2014 world athlete of the year, set an outdoor personal best and IAAF Diamond League pole vault record of 6.05m in Eugene.
<h3>Men's javelin, Birmingham</h3>
Kenya&rsquo;s Julius Yego won a memorable javelin competition in Birmingham with a final effort of 91.39m, an African and IAAF Diamond League record and the best throw seen since 2006.
<h3>Men's 400m, Paris</h3>
Wayde van Niekerk became the first African to better 44 seconds for 400m, clocking 43.96 in Paris. The 22-year-old South African also beat Olympic champion Kirani James, who was second in 44.17.
<h3>Women's 1500m, Monaco</h3>
Genzebe Dibaba made history in Monaco with a world 1500m record of 3:50.07, surpassing Qu Yunxia's mark of 3:50.46 set in 1993.
<h3>Men's 1500m, Monaco</h3>
The men's metric mile was also a highlight in Monaco as Kenya&rsquo;s Asbel Kiprop became third fastest man in history, missing the world record in his event by just 0.69 when clocking 3:26.69.
<h3>Men's shot put, Monaco</h3>
Also in Monaco, USA&rsquo;s Joe Kovacs won the shot put with 22.56m, the best throw seen since 2003 and an IAAF Diamond League record.
<h3>Men's 5000m, Brussels</h3>
In the Brussels men&rsquo;s 5000m, with whoever winning also taking the Diamond Race, Ethiopia&rsquo;s 17-year-old Yomif Kejelcha produced a world-leading time of 12:53.98.
 IAAF
2016 IAAF Diamond League calendar 6 May &ndash; Doha, QAT 14 May &ndash; Shanghai, CHN 22 May &ndash; Rabat, MAR 28 May &ndash; Eugene, USA 2 Jun &ndash; Rome, ITA 5 Jun &ndash; Birmingham, GBR 9 Jun &ndash; Oslo, NOR 16 Jun &ndash; Stockholm, SWE 15 Jul &ndash; Monaco, MON 22-23 Jul &ndash; London, GBR 25 Aug &ndash; Lausanne, SUI 27 Aug &ndash; Paris, FRA 1 Sep &ndash; Zurich, SUI 9 Sep &ndash; Brussels, BEL

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.

Looking ahead to the start of 2016 IAAF Diamond League – 2015 highlights

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 fields at the second stop of the 2016 series includes eight event winners from the 2015 Diamond Race, including USA&rsquo;s David Oliver, who returns to Shanghai looking to repeat last year&rsquo;s victory in the 110m hurdles when he beat a high-class field just a few minutes before Chinese star Liu Xiang bade an emotional farewell to the sport.
Oliver, who won the world title in 2013, will hope to start his 2016 IAAF Diamond League campaign in similar vein as he goes for glory in an event that always forms the climax of China&rsquo;s leading international athletics meeting.&nbsp;
It could be another emotional occasion this year as Oliver&rsquo;s US teammate Aries Merritt makes his return to top-level international competition following a kidney transplant operation at the end of last summer.
Merritt claimed the world record in 2012 shortly after clinching the Olympic title in London, but he struggled to hit the same form in subsequent seasons as he fought the debilitating impact of his serious illness.
The two US greats are no strangers to the Shanghai Stadium, having raced at this meeting 10 times between them.
The pair will face stiff opposition again in 2016, not least from Omar McLeod, the Jamaican who won the world indoor 60m hurdles gold medal in Portland earlier this month.
The men&rsquo;s 110m hurdles always attracts huge interest in Shanghai, but it is likely to be far from the only highlight in a meeting full of top-class performances as the world&rsquo;s best athletes begin on the road to August&rsquo;s Olympic Games in Rio.&nbsp;
David Rudisha is just one of the five London 2012 champions who will looking to show some good early season form just three months ahead of his Olympic title defence.
The 800m world record-holder makes his debut in Shanghai after recapturing his world crown in Beijing last August.
Jamaican print duo Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce and Veronica Campbell-Brown are set for a mouth-watering clash in the women&rsquo;s 200m, although both were beaten over 100m here in 2015 by Nigeria&rsquo;s Blessing Okagbare.
Fraser-Pryce bounced back to win her third world 100m title in Beijing last summer but she will be hoping for a better performance this year as she aims for her third Olympic 100m crown.
Campbell-Brown is aiming for a hat-trick of her own as she looks to reclaim the Olympic 200m title she won in Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008. Both sprinters have won here in the past: Campbell-Brown over 100m in 2011 and 200m in 2012, and Fraser-Pryce in the shorter sprint three years ago.
Kenya&rsquo;s surprise world champion Nicholas Bett headlines the men&rsquo;s 400m hurdles in which he takes on world bronze medallist Jeffrey Gibson of The Bahamas.
Gibson&rsquo;s compatriot Shaunae Miller will race Jamaica&rsquo;s Shericka Jackson in the women&rsquo;s 400m. They were the silver and bronze medallists respectively over one lap of the track in Beijing.&nbsp;
Kenya&rsquo;s world steeplechase champion Hyvin Kiyeng faces last year&rsquo;s Diamond Race winner over the barriers, her compatriot Virginia Nyambura.&nbsp;
In the field events, Canada&rsquo;s world champion Shawn Barber should provide the main opposition to the already announced world record-holder Renaud Lavillenie in the men&rsquo;s pole vault.&nbsp;
Another world champion, USA&rsquo;s 2015 Diamond Race winner Joe Kovacs, faces New Zealand&rsquo;s recently crowned world indoor champion Tom Walsh in the men&rsquo;s shot put.
World long jump champion Tianna Bartoletta will come up against Serbia&rsquo;s world bronze medallist Ivana Spanovic, who also took the silver earlier this month at the World Indoor Championships, while Croatia&rsquo;s Olympic discus champion Sandra Perkovic will come up against Denia Caballero, the Cuban who beat her to the world crown in Beijing.
Organisers for the IAAF
2016 IAAF Diamond League calendar 6 May &ndash; Doha, QAT 14 May &ndash; Shanghai, CHN 22 May &ndash; Rabat, MAR 28 May &ndash; Eugene, USA 2 Jun &ndash; Rome, ITA 5 Jun &ndash; Birmingham, GBR 9 Jun &ndash; Oslo, NOR 16 Jun &ndash; Stockholm, SWE 15 Jul &ndash; Monaco, MON 22-23 Jul &ndash; London, GBR 25 Aug &ndash; Lausanne, SUI 27 Aug &ndash; Paris, FRA 1 Sep &ndash; Zurich, SUI 9 Sep &ndash; Brussels, BEL

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).

110m hurdles again to be a highlight in Shanghai – IAAF Diamond League

The planet&rsquo;s two best men&rsquo;s shot putters on recent form &ndash; Joe Kovacs and David Storl &ndash; 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).
Some might call it a rematch, but others see it as a continuation of the Pre Classic tradition for major shot put clashes.
Kovacs&rsquo; biggest moment to date came in topping a stellar field at the IAAF World Championships Beijing 2015.
The victory in the Chinese capital was only one of several crowning moments for Kovacs, who earlier in the summer heaved the shot to a world-leading mark of 22.56m, the best distance in the world for 12 years, before then going on to win the season-long Diamond Race.
Kovacs will face the man who preceded him as world champion in 2011 and 2013, Germany&rsquo;s David Storl, who also finished second to Kovacs at last year&rsquo;s Pre Classic and in Beijing.
However, the Eugene field also has incredible depth.
New Zealand&rsquo;s Tom Walsh is the youngest in the field at 24. He won the gold medal at the recent IAAF World Indoor Championships Portland 2016 with an Oceanian record of 21.78m.&nbsp;
A decade older, Tomasz Majewski has two Olympic gold medals, joining legendary Parry O&rsquo;Brien in an exclusive club. The Polish record-holder at 21.95m, Majewski has competed at the past six Pre Classics.&nbsp;
Reese Hoffa has already competed 11 times at the event with four victories. The 38-year-old won gold at the 2007 IAAF World Championships and is the only two-time Diamond Race winner in this event, ending the 2012 and 2014 seasons victorious.
In Beijing last year, O&rsquo;Dayne Richards earned Jamaica's first World Championships shot put medal when he equalled his national record of 21.69m, which was set in winning the Pan American Games gold medal last July.
Two 25-year-olds are prepared for their first Pre Classic. Jordan Clarke, who represented USA in Beijing, will be joined by Canada&rsquo;s three-time national champion Tim Nedow, who earned a silver medal at last summer&rsquo;s Pan American Games behind Richards before winning the overall shot put title on the IAAF World Indoor Tour this winter.
Organisers for the IAAF
2016 IAAF Diamond League calendar 6 May &ndash; Doha, QAT 14 May &ndash; Shanghai, CHN 22 May &ndash; Rabat, MAR 28 May &ndash; Eugene, USA 2 Jun &ndash; Rome, ITA 5 Jun &ndash; Birmingham, GBR 9 Jun &ndash; Oslo, NOR 16 Jun &ndash; Stockholm, SWE 15 Jul &ndash; Monaco, MON 22-23 Jul &ndash; London, GBR 25 Aug &ndash; Lausanne, SUI 27 Aug &ndash; Paris, FRA 1 Sep &ndash; Zurich, SUI 9 Sep &ndash; Brussels, BEL

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).