EUGENE, Ore. - Penn State track & field alumni Joe Kovacs ('12) and Michael Shuey ('17) have qualified to represent the United States at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo later this month.
Kovacs will be competing at the Olympics for the second time, as he claimed the silver medal with a second place finish in the shot put at the 2016 Summer games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The two-time IAAF World Champion placed second at Olympic Trials with a top throw of 71-6 ¾ (21.66m).
Making his first appearance at the Olympic games will be 2017 graduate Michael Shuey, who placed second in the javelin with a throw of 260-0 (79.24m). The two-time Big Ten Champion qualified for the team based on his world ranking of 21.
The Nittany Lions were well represented at Olympic Trials with 16 competitors at the national meet. Among the 16 were five members of the 2021 Nittany Lions, with David Lucas, Tyler Merkley and Mark Porter on the men's side and Maddie Holmberg and Madison Smith on the women's side.
Holmberg was the top finisher among the group, placing seventh in the heptathlon with a score of 5895.
Two Nittany Lions narrowly missed qualifying for Team USA, as 2018 graduate Isaiah Harris placed fourth in the 800m finals and 2015 graduate Darrell Hill placed fourth in the shot put finals.
"Penn State had amazing representation at the Olympic Trials over the last two weeks," Head Coach John Gondak said. "We will have two Olympians, we had two fourth place finishers - the hardest place to finish - and many other performances that just show the level of athlete that Penn State Track and Field has helped develop. Best of luck to everyone competing in Tokyo and continuing their seasons in the summer."
It will mark the second consecutive Summer Olympic games in which two Penn State track & field alumni will compete for Team USA, as Kovacs and Hill both qualified in the shot put in 2016.
The Olympic Games are slated to begin on July 21 and will be broadcast across the NBC family of networks.
