Shot put’s big men separated by smallest margin
Kiwi Tom Walsh saw his world championship gold medal snatched away by 1cm in one of the greatest field event finals in athletics history.
Defending champion Walsh extended his personal best 27cm in the first round with 22.90m, the fourthlongest shot put in history and a world championship record.
The 27-year-old was still leading heading into the sixth and final round when Joe Kovacs stepped into the circle, sitting fourth almost a metre behind Walsh with a best of 21.95m. But the American produced an extraordinary effort to record 22.91m, also a personal best.
Having just lost his lead, Walsh then had to watch as Ryan Crouser bumped him down to the bronze medal position with the penultimate put of the competition. The Olympic champion joined the personal best party with his 22.90m, moving him ahead of Walsh thanks to a superior second-best put.
Walsh had one last chance to leapfrog back over his American rivals but fouled for the fourth time.
Kovacs’ winning mark was the third equal best in history, and the best since 1990, when American Randy Barnes set the world record of 23.12m. The giant athletes hugged each other after the closest shot put competition at a pinnacle event. “I didn’t lay a further enough gauntlet down with the first throw,” said Walsh. “I was bang on with all the rest, exactly what I was supposed to be doing, but didn’t quite nail one out there a bit further.
“It’s my best comp all year — as in attacking every throw and nailing the intent — but there’s a bit of a bitter taste in the mouth with not getting the gold.
“I do the sport to be challenged and to challenge myself. I went into the last throw walking towards that, looking forward to it, and believing I had what I needed. I didn’t quite do it but I gave it a good nudge.” Aucklander Jacko Gill finished seventh, his final-round 21.45m just 2cm short of his personal best.
In other action, Camille Buscomb recorded another personal best in the women’s 5000m final. The 29-yearold finished 12th in the 15-strong field in 14m 58.59s.
She qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in the 10,000m and 5000m in the Qatari capital and set personal best times in both.
“I’m really happy,” Buscomb said. “Two 12th placings and three PBs, it’s been an awesome week.”
In the men’s marathon, Malcolm Hicks (Auckland) and Caden Shields (Otago) finished 27th and 30th respectively in a race which began at midnight with the temperature at 29C.
Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia won the race in 2h 10m 40s. Hicks finished in 2h 17m 45s and Shields in 2h 18m 08s.