Walsh sheds light on lockdown
This weekend was meant to be the first round of the new Diamond League athletics season, in Doha, Qatar.
Instead, two-time defending shot put champion Tom Walsh is at home in Christchurch, with the coronavirus pandemic having pulled the curtain down on the sporting world for the time being.
But the 28-year-old Olympic bronze medallist has not been short of things to keep him busy during the Covid-19 lockdown, telling the World Athletics website that his previous life as a builder was proving useful.
‘‘I’m an active relaxer, I think they call it,’’ he said. ‘‘I like to do things rather than sit by a beach and put my feet up.
‘‘We bought about 10 acres of land about nine months ago, so that’s a long-term plan. It’s the dream house: a little bit of land, a little bit of stock, and just a bit more space.
‘‘I’m designing a big shed with a gym and a workshop, and few other bits and pieces that can go in there. So there’s a bit of the paperwork at the moment going in to designing that and getting to the planning stage.’’
Walsh has a garage gym set up with some weights, and while he can’t train and throw in the government-owned facility he normally does, he does have a spot close by that has come in handy.
‘‘It’s actually very lucky, I bought an e-bike six or seven months ago, when I came home, so I’m biking to a shot put circle which is about five minutes away from my house,’’ he told the World Athletics website.
‘‘I’m actually losing weight because I’m doing some aerobic work.’’
And it also means the one or two beers a night are nothing too bad, either.
‘‘The joys of being a slightly heavier man, you can get away with a few of these,’’ he said from his home office, beer in hand.
‘‘But, look, I can afford that kind of stuff. I don’t need to be trim for my sport, so there are certain luxuries that come with that. But also to stay at 125kg obviously takes a bit of effort with how much I eat, too.’’