Walsh’s Olympic bronze a first for Kiwi men in field
Shot putter Tom Walsh became a sporting pioneer at the Rio Games yesterday.
The 24- year- old builder from Timaru — a city which sources claim might change its name briefly to Tomaru — i s the first New Zealand man to earn a medal in an Olympic field event in attempts spanning 88 years.
Walsh threw 21.36m with his penultimate effort to secure bronze.
American Ryan Crouser won with 22.52m, breaking the Olympic record set in 1988. Compatriot Joe Kovacs delivered 21.78m for silver.
Despite the wealth of medals earned by Kiwi men on the track, no man since Stan Lay first threw a jav- elin at Amsterdam in 1928 has reached the podium.
The previous best men’s shot put result was Les Mills’ seventh at Tokyo in 1964.
Walsh earned the right to his gong amid a dozen men grunting as if they were shifting pianos up spiral staircases. He dispatched the 7.26kg iron sphere with customary venom and never wilted as the pressure ramped up to hyperbaric chamber levels.
Walsh was fourth but level with Franck Elemba from the Republic of Congo until his fifth of six heaves. Elemba was ahead by virtue of a better second throw of 21.00m, a personal best. Then Walsh uncoiled. “It wasn’t my best work, but you’ve got to take it, don’t you?” he said in the aftermath.
“It’s great to know I’m first [ among New Zealand male field athletes]. I just thought I was in better nick, it wasn’t quite flowing like normal.”
Walsh beat t wo- time Olympic champion Tomasz Majewski, former world champion David Storl and Commonwealth Games champion O’Dayne Richards on his way to the prize.
Walsh has built a considerable pedigree since taking bronze at the 2014 world indoor championships in Poland.
He finished fourth at last year’s world championships and won the world indoors this year with a personal best of 21.78m.
He beat every major international competitor last season and, in Brussels, became the first New Zealand man to win a Diamond League meet.
Yet despite the rise to throwing stardom, he has refused to relinquish his tool belt at Mike Greer Homes in Christchurch.
Walsh is a throwback to a generation of Kiwi athletes who contested major competitions while seeking leave from work. That suits him fine.
He often refers to good- natured ribbings from his workmates asking why he didn’t throw further. He will no doubt be answering the same questions upon his return.
Walsh and fellow Kiwi Jacko Gill were the first New Zealanders in 40 years to feature alongside each other in the final of an Olympic track and field event.
In 1976, Dick Quax earned silver and Rod Dixon finished fourth in the 5000m at Montreal.
Gill finished ninth with a best of 20.50m. He was forced out of the top eight by Majewski’s final throw of 20.72m.
Walsh and Gill qualified with the second and fourth best throws respectively. Walsh needed one attempt — 21.03m — to reach the automatic qualifying standard of 20.65m. He chilled out to take his mind off the sport’s showpiece and to avoid feeling “flat as a pancake”.
Gill threw within 3cm of his personal best. He heaved 20.80m with his third and final attempt, despite battling a broken right foot.
Crouser threw the best qualifying attempt with 21.59m.