Amidst a thunderous roar from the stands at Hayward Fields, Joe Kovacs was vying for a spot on the Paris-bound team. The 2-time Olympic silver medalist had only secured a silver on the grand stage, and he was looking for another shot to change that. The Nazareth native’s best throw at 22.43m helped him punch his ticket to Paris. He trailed behind 2-time Olympic gold medalist Ryan Crouser, who threw an impressive 22.84m in the finals.

But Kovacs’ journey wasn’t all rainbows and sunshine. 8 months before the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha, the 2-time world champion had a difficult decision to make. He was on the brink of quitting the sport for good. Good thing he didn’t! The championships were a turning point for him, and he is now on his way to his third Olympics run. But, who motivates the 2-time world champion? Let’s find out!

Who are Joseph and Joanna Kovacs? Meet the star athlete’s father and mother 

Joe Kovacs hails from Nazareth in Pennsylvania, but he was born in Bethlehem. Joseph and Joanna Kovacs both graduated from East Stroudsburg University and got married shortly after in December 1985. Joe was named after his father and was fondly known as “Little Joey” for most of his childhood. His mother fondly remembers him as a “compassionate, caring person” as a child. But when the shotput champion was 8-years-old, his father was diagnosed with colon cancer.

After the diagnosis, Joseph underwent surgery to curb it. But it had already progressed. After spending 2 years in a coma, he unfortunately passed away. “It was the worst time in my life, but I had my mom,” Joe once recalls. But he also did his part by helping make the process easier for his mom. His mother once told team USA how when she asked him to put away the groceries, and he had put 10 potatoes wherever he could find a spot on the shelf.

His mother may be one of the strongest people he’s come across, but she is also a former athlete herself. She was a 2-time district champion in high school, and competed in discus, javelin and shot put. Joe Kovacs initially started out as a football lineman. But he wasn’t the strongest, and decided to join the track and field team to work on his form. He first focused on jumps and the 100m speed to improve his speed.

But one fine day, he found older students practicing throws with plates and balls in the parking lot. Intrigued, Kovacs decided to join in. And this soon became an after school session for the Olympian. Joanna happened to notice his incorrect technique one day while picking him up, she knew she had to help! She wanted to help him improve, and started befriending officials from the school. When the head coach noticed, he asked her to take on the vacant role of the school’s throw coach. And the rest, as they say, is history!

An inspiration to many: Know how Joe Kovacs’ mother shaped his career

All it took was one incorrect throw for Joanna to step in. “She had the mentality that if you’re going to do this, you’re going to do this right,” Joe recalls. His mother knew he was just doing this to do better in football, but she wanted him to focus on one goal. “You’re not going to just have a good time. You’re going to look to win.” With her help, Kovacs decided to adopt the “Glide” technique in the sport at a summer track clinic. But when Olympic bronze medalist Reese Hoffa asking him to switch his technique, Joanna and Joe knew he had to put in more work.

To make sure the 2-time world champion had a fair shot, Joanna decided to reach out to Glenn Thompson in Harrisburg, and often make the long trip every Sunday to train with him. It worked, because he left high school as an All-State in football and had clinched the title of a champion in Discus and Shot Put at the PIAA state meet!

Apart from coaching him, Joanna Kovacs was incredibly supportive throughout his collegiate career. She would make sure to travel to every meet Joe competed in. She once made a last-minute trip to a meet in Texas because the tone of Kovacs’ voice made her believe he would make a great throw. While it wasn’t anything extraordinary, Joanna doesn’t regret it one bit. “I didn’t want to miss a big throw,” she recalled. Throughout his career, Joanna never fails to save his competition prizes and newspaper clippings.

Joanna might not be the Olympian’s coach now, but she has been right by his side as he slowly made his way to the top. She even witnessed Kovacs set his personal best in Doha and clinching a gold with 22.91m. As the 2-time world champion prepares for the upcoming Summer Games, he will be looking to bring home the coveted gold. While we don’t know how he would fare in the French capital, one thing’s for certain: Joanna Kovacs’ cheers from the stands will definitely be the loudest.