‘I wouldn’t want to compete against Jacko right now’
Dale Stevenson has jumped from guiding Tom Walsh to his biggest rival, and, writes Marc Hinton it’s a dynamic that has ramped up the Kiwi shot put rivalry.
The dynamic right now at the pointy end of New Zealand men’s shot put is dripping with intrigue, intensity and interest. And sitting right in the middle of it is an Aussie coach who just masterminded a significant result by his new charge over the man he guided to many of his finest moments in the sport.
By rights Dale Stevenson should have felt like a million dollars in Wellington last Saturday. His athlete, Jacko Gill, had just scored a significant, and resounding, victory over his old protege, Tom Walsh, to snap a streak of 13 consecutive national shot put titles. It was the sort of result that vindicates this thing a coach does for a living.
Instead Stevenson had slightly mixed feelings as he hung on the railing at Newtown Stadium and watched the 28-year-old Gill triumph over the 31-year-old Walsh for the first time at the national senior level.
Part of the now Melbournebased coach was awash with pride and satisfaction. His athlete had just smashed out the second best throw of his career (21.80 metres), and had dominated Walsh in stunning fashion in their first head-tohead of the year. Every one of Gill’s tosses of the 7.26kg sphere went further than his rival’s best attempt (21.25m).
But Stevenson couldn’t help but think back to his long partnership with Walsh and their successes together that included world titles, Olympic medals and Diamond League triumphs. They were at the top of their sport doing special things.
To recap: Walsh decided late in 2021 to part ways with Stevenson and change up his athlete-coach dynamic. Within a week Stevenson had been contacted by Gill, the one-time junior phenom who had been battling away for a decade in Walsh’s shadow. Would he come on board as his coach?
The prospect had appeal, but Stevenson was in the process of moving his young family back to Melbourne, so initially he came on board in an advisory capacity, before morphing it into a fully fledged coaching role about a year ago. Clearly they are making progress – Gill notched a PB of 21.90m in grabbing silver (behind Walsh) at the Commonwealth Games last year, and backed it up with a tasty series in Wellington in his first competitive outing of 2023 (all five counting throws were 21.27m or better).
‘‘I’m really proud of what
Tom achieved, and the time we spent together,’’ Stevenson tells Sunday News from Melbourne. ‘‘It didn’t end the way I wanted it to, but I understand Tom’s prerogative. It reached a point where Tom needed a caddy more than a coach. There was natural evolution there, but I’d love to see Tom back to his best.
‘‘These guys do this for a living, and Athletics NZ have been supportive, which has allowed me to keep a lot of the intellectual property and experience I’ve developed, and keep applying it for the benefit of the sport in New Zealand.’’
It’s well known in athletics’ circles the relationship ended on a sour note, but from Stevenson’s standpoint there are no hard feelings: ‘‘There’s a beer and a handshake that needs to be had at some point, but by virtue of distance we don’t cross paths that much.’’
The Walsh-Gill rivalry is an intriguing one, dominated hitherto by the Cantab. Walsh has long credited the Aucklander with helping him stay on top of his game and there is definite mutual respect there. But there’s also a competitive edge, only reinforced by Walsh’s late decision to enter the SGD meet in Auckland next Thursday and give himself a shot at some revenge for his nationals misfire. ‘‘Both those athletes are lucky to have each other
and to be able to leverage off that, and push each other,’’ notes Stevenson. ‘‘As Tom continues to strive for whatever his goals are, I’m pretty clear on what Jacko wants to do, and where we’re going over the next couple of years. It can be a win-win.’’
But Stevenson conceded there were times ‘‘it felt a bit strange’’ on the other side of the fence at nationals. ‘‘I watched Tom and still have strong thoughts and lenses on how he could be going about things. That’s just part of curiosity, passion and interest. I had a chat with Tom’s parents who I still get along with . . . but right now I’m firmly entrenched in Team Jacko.’’
And Stevenson’s delight in Wellington was all focused on Gill’s encouraging performance. ‘‘It’s his second-best throw of all time and first competition in six months. It brings some validity to the path we’ve been on. This national title has been pretty hard to win for the last decade, and Jacko fought hard, won every round, and was pretty convincing.
‘‘I told Jacko he has to learn to do something Tom has done really well through his career – to not just wait for the stars to align for one big throw, but to lay down consistent markers.
‘‘If we’re serious about going on the road and taking on the strongest era in men’s shot put history, that’s an attribute we’ve got to cultivate. I wouldn’t want
‘There’s no reason why he’s not capable of 22.50 to 23 metres . . . This year is about putting ourselves in position to convert it next year and stand on top of some podiums.’ DALE STEVENSON ON JACKO GILL, RIGHT
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to compete against Jacko right now. He’s getting his confidence and self-belief to a point where he can be a real threat, not just domestically, but globally.’’
Gill’s big shift, says Stevenson, has to come in level of performance. He talks about energy expended getting through qualifying rounds at major events, and getting to a point where you ‘‘roll out of bed’’, throw 21.50, and progress with little stress or exertion. ‘‘We saw on Saturday, he can now do that.’’
Another part of the dynamic with Gill has been getting to know the athlete, his motivations, personality, and how to push his buttons. The Aucklander – a much more introverted character – is no Walsh but does have some physical attributes his rival doesn’t.
‘‘By virtue of him being so successful as a junior he’d built some ingrained habits that had never been challenged,’’ says Stevenson. ‘‘We’ve moved the needle on some of that. But I’ve never worked with anyone with the physical traits Jacko does.
‘‘He’s got some freakish abilities, but they were limited by behavioural and sociological factors you can get away with when you’re 14, but not 28. He needed to learn basic things like rest, recovery, sleep . . . we’re seeing benefits now in terms of how far the ball goes.’’
Gill also lacks Walsh’s drive to chase competition and willingness to live out of a suitcase for long periods. ‘‘He’d rather stay in Auckland, do smaller stints radiating out, and then come back with his support network – his girlfriend and family.’’
So Waitakere on Thursday will be Gill’s last meet of the southern summer, and then it will be about mapping out a plan through to the worlds in Budapest (August 19-27).
And Stevenson is bullish about the path forward for his charge.
‘‘Credit to Tom: what he’s done over the last decade has been beyond where a lot of people thought he could be. Whereas people know what Jacko has been capable of, but it’s about realisation of potential, rather than proving anyone wrong.
‘‘There’s no reason why he’s not capable of 22.50 to 23m. We’ll be looking to go 22-plus in Waitakere.
‘‘I’ve put that challenge to Jacko. I gave him about 12 hours after Wellington, then said, ‘now what?’ It’s all well to have a headto-head result, but 21.80 is not going to stack up at the worlds. We’ve got to find some distance.
‘‘This year is about putting ourselves in position to convert it next year and stand on top of some podiums.’’
Throw long. Aim high.