Photo: Renato Brandjolica/Hanzeković Memorial
The Zagreb Meeting shot put event, titled the Ivan Ivančić Memorial since 2015, has been marked by the victories and meeting records set by Tom Walsh and Ryan Crouser.
However, reigning world champion Joe Kovacs told the organizers last year to also draw the 23m mark in the field this year. After that, he won world gold with the mark of 22.91m in Doha.
“Ryan is in great form this year and I’m sure that he can throw over 23 metres. As far as I’m concerned, this year has been totally crazy. You know that this meeting, with the shot put event by the fountains, is my favourite one and that I like Zagreb very much. But this was usually my last meeting of the season and now it’s the first one. I didn’t even believe that you would be able to organize such a meeting and I am really glad that you have managed to organize it. So I would be very happy if I could repeat my result from the last year’s meeting (21.20)”, Kovacs said.
Reigning Olympic champion and the Ivan Ivančić Memorial record holder (22.28) Ryan Crouser set his personal best of 22.91 this year, he won with 22.72 in Des Moines, where he threw over 22 metres in all 6 attempts, and he also continued to throw well at the meetings in Europe (22.70, 22.43)
“At the first two meetings, I was still a little bit tired from the flight, but now I have rested and I am completely ready. I am really excited before tomorrow’s competition, because this is one of my favourite venues and I expect to throw far. How far? I won’t think about throwing over 22 metres in all 6 attempts, I will be satisfied if one of them will be over 23 metres. I will not talk about Barnes’s world record (23.12), because I always think about improving my personal best, but I think that I can definitely break the meeting record and that a 23m throw is quite possible”, Crouser was optimistic.
Zagreb’s Mayor Milan Bandić also joined the optimistic atmosphere on the eve of the 6th Ivan Ivančić Memorial:
“I would like to thank Ivana Brkljačić and the organizers, who have organized an excellent meeting also in such extraordinary circumstances. I would like to let Ryan and Joe know that we will draw the lines in the field at 23 metres or at 23.5, wherever needed!”
Croatian record holder Filip Mihaljević will not compete due to an injury, so he will be a co-commentator at the Croatian Television.
The 6th Ivan Ivančić Memorial, part of the 70th Continental Tour Gold Zagreb Meeting, will take place on Monday, 14 September, at 7:30 pm. Due to the epidemiological measures, it will be without the audience this year, but it will be broadcast live on the Croatian National Television. (M. Šarec/Press)
