Walsh rewrites record books
WELLINGTON: Kiwi powerhouse Tom Walsh has hurled the shot put to a distance that has not been witnessed for 15 years.
In a throw that establishes Walsh as one of New Zealand’s greatest alltime athletes at the tender age of 26, Walsh reached a mammoth 22.67m at a meet in Auckland yesterday.
The distance is 36cm longer than his previous best, which was already a national and Oceania record.
The reigning world champion is tied for sixth on the alltime list, level with American Kevin Toth, who threw the same distance in 2003.
Those who have gone further all achieved it in 1990 or earlier.
The world record of 23.12m was set by American Randy Barnes in Los Angeles in
1990.
Walsh’s second throw at the Graeme
Douglas International Track
Challenge at
Waitakere
Stadium establishes his favouritism for next month’s Commonwealth
Games.
He admits he nailed it.
‘‘It felt pretty easy; it felt pretty good,’’ he told journalists.
‘‘I knew I was in that type of shape so it was great to put that one throw together.’’
He believes finding another 46cm is within him, to break the world record.
‘‘Every day you talk about throwing it but the closer and closer you get to it, the more and more you believe — considering how easy it was,’’ he said.
Elsewhere, Valerie Adams won the women’s event on a countback after finishing level with Canadian Brittany Crew. Both threw 18.48m.
Adams cleared 18m five times in what she called an encouraging preGames performance as she returns to competition following the birth of her first child six months ago.
Olympic bronze medallist Eliza McCartney impressed again in winning the pole vault although she narrowly missed three attempts at what would have been a personalbest 4.85m. Her Oceania record is 4.82m.
McCartney cleared 4.75m on her third attempt, one week after soaring over 4.90m in a nonofficial event. — NZN