Walsh hits top gear with clutch throw
Tom Walsh knew he had to ‘‘put the big boy pants on’’ for yesterday’s Diamond League final in Zurich, and obliged with a record winning throw that reinforces the Kiwi’s reputation as the king of clutch among the heavy-hitters of world shot put.
The 26-year-old ticked all sorts of boxes with his stunning victory at the Letzigrund stadium to claim his second Diamond League title in three years with a brilliant winning toss of 22.60 metres – the equal 13th biggest throw of all time and the second furthest Walsh has ever managed.
Walsh broke the 30-year-old meet record held by American Randy Barnes (22.42m) with the second-round bomb he had predicted just days out was brewing.
It also eclipsed by 4cm the best distance ever thrown in a Diamond League meet, and left dangerous Americans Darrell Hill (22.40m) and Ryan Crouser (22.18m) in his dust in what may have been the finest shot put competition of all time.
Just for good measure he pocketed the US$50,000 (NZ$75,000) cash bonus for winning the final and almost certainly sealed the world No 1 ranking for 2018 with a throw that has only been eclipsed this year by the 22.67m the burly Cantabrian threw in Auckland in March, which remains the equal seventh best mark of all time.
Reminded of his pre-meet prediction that he was going to ‘‘drop a bomb’’ in one of his final three meets for the year, Walsh told Stuff from Zurich that the unprecedented high level of the competition brought the best out in him.
‘‘This was the hardest Diamond League final win ever, and would be one of the best competitions in the world ever, with three guys over 22, and another close,’’ Walsh said.
‘‘I did really well through training this week, and knew I needed to be positive in the circle. That’s why I went so far. It was a great feeling.
‘‘I knew I needed to put the big boy pants on because, if I didn’t, I would have been left in the dust with Darrell throwing so well right through the competition and also Crouser going so well,’’ he told Stuff.
Hill, the defending Diamond League champion, made an immediate statement with an opening throw of 22.40m that laid down a marker. The American’s consistency was impressive with all four of his legal efforts sailing past the 22m mark.
Olympic champion Crouser also fired early with his first throw hitting 22.11m. Walsh opened with a comparatively modest 21.06m.
‘‘You knew you needed to go over that early on to stay in the fight,’’ he said. ‘‘And I managed that in the second round and I guess put the pressure back on them – and they couldn’t answer which was great.’’
Walsh’s series was 21.06m, 22.60m, 21.39m, 21.87m, a foul and 20.55m for a victory that beautifully caps his 2018 season, with that world indoors title in March and Commonwealth Games gold in April, as well as that 22.67m monster throw.
‘‘I’ve done what I wanted early in the season, winning the two majors. Now to do this tonight, it’s the icing on the cake,’’ Walsh added. ‘‘It’s great to be able to do that on the big stage because everybody was here to play, and to be able to do that under pressure . . . one thing I haven’t got yet is the world No 1 ranking, so I think that should sew it up.’’
The big Kiwi has been in career-best form in 2018, throwing past the 22m mark to win competitions seven times, and his triple crown of the world indoors, Commonwealth and Diamond League titles should make him a certainty to defend his Halberg Sportsman of the Year award.
Walsh said it was special to eclipse a Randy Barnes mark, even though it was not the one he and his rivals have their sights on – the world record 23.12m the American achieved in suspicious circumstances back in 1990.
‘‘It’s pretty special to beat one of Barnes’ records. It’s not quite the one we really want but definitely one of them. To be able to throw so well on the big stage doesn’t often happen like that, so I’m pretty bloody happy,’’ said Walsh, indicating he was going to celebrate in time-honoured fashion with his fellow big-boppers of the sport.
But the Timaru-born and raised athlete is not done yet. He has two more meets – the world-class Zagreb event on September 3 and then the Continental Cup in Ostrava on September 8-9 – to end his season, and wants to sign off in style.
‘‘Just two more to go . . . but don’t worry, we’ll enjoy tonight.’’
‘‘I knew I needed to put the big boy pants on because, if I didn’t, I would have been left in the dust.’’ Tom Walsh