Fun-loving thrower on serious quest for history
Walsh determined to become first Kiwi male to secure shot put gold
Tom Walsh has a few things on his mind.
1. Can he become the first New Zealand male to win a Commonwealth Games shot put title?
2. Can he become the first thrower in almost 28 years to throw beyond
23m?
3. What is the latest bet — or possibly threat — he and coach Dale Stevenson can concoct between themselves to drive the best from his performance?
On Monday, the 26-year-old will attempt to upgrade a 2014 Glasgow silver to a 2018 Gold Coast gold.
New Zealand has produced three women’s shot put champions at the event — Yvette Corlett (nee Williams), Valerie Young (nee Sloper) and Valerie Adams. Among the men, it’s only silver: Les Mills at Kingston in
1966, Courtney Ireland at Victoria in
1994 and Walsh.
A new chapter in New Zealand athletics history could be written at Carrara Stadium, given how far Walsh remains clear of his Commonwealth competitors this outdoor season.
Canadian Tim Nedow has thrown
20.77m, Australian Damien Birkinhead 20.75m and Glasgow champion, Jamaican O’Dayne Richards, 20.61m.
“I’m not that big of a favourite, I’m still paying $1.10 at the TAB,” Walsh quipped.
“But I know I need to take care of business. Last time I threw well, but got beaten on the day [by Richards].
“I’ve since broken a few records and become New Zealand’s first male world champ in a field event, but I’ve got to keep this ball rolling.”
Walsh said he was in the best shape of his life.
“Health-wise and physical-wise there’s nothing wrong with me. I know they’re cliches, but I’m bigger, faster and stronger. My mental space is A-okay.”
Last month, Walsh heaved a personal best of 22.67m. How does he dispatch the shot that far?
“It’s not Dale [Stevenson],” he joked, in reference to the coach and former rival with whom he shares an extraordinary sense of repartee.
“There’s a lot of hard work behind the scenes with specialists. I think it’s just maturity, and being able to talk about things in-depth.
“The team supporting me are people who can answer hard questions. We are never scared to test each other and ask ‘Can we do this better?’, which has created a great learning environment for all of us.”
Walsh is now history’s sixth-equal farthest thrower, level with American Kevin Toth, who delivered his put in
2003. The following year Toth was banned for a positive drugs test and retired.
No one has thrown further than Walsh since May 1990, when American Randy Barnes threw beyond 23m twice within a week. Barnes tested positive for steroid use in August that year. Recidivism saw him banned for life in 1998.
The other four completed their throws between 1975 and 1988.
A lot rides on Walsh’s reputation. “I’m not finished yet. I’ve got to knock the rest off.
“It’s taken this long for shot put training to catch up. They might have had a helping hand in training, but it’s good to believe I have the capability to throw that far.
“I’m looking to break the world record, and go well past it.”
As Walsh shakes up the world, the use of banter as a device for motivation verges on epic levels with his
30-year-old Australian coach. “Dale’s a bit short on top, so once he had to grow his hair out for a year; I had to get a tattoo on my foot; he had to throw in a G-string; and now he has mutton chops for nine months after losing a bet at the world indoors.
“I do the sport because I love the feeling of throwing far, but to have those things on the side makes it lighthearted and great fun.”
The opportunity for more fun — atop a podium — presents on Monday night, if he heaves near his best.
“I expected to be in good form coming into the Commonwealth Games six weeks after the world indoors, so watch this space.”