Walsh ready for Jacko’s best
The planet’s most dominant men’s shot put exponent in a golden era for the sport is just a little anxious as he prepares for his first domestic hitout of the 2019 campaign.
Part of it for world and Diamond League champion Tom Walsh is the natural uncertainty whenever you set out on a new journey; and part of it – frankly – is the presence of a certain Jacko Gill in the entry-list for tomorrow’s season-opening Potts Classic meet in Hastings.
Walsh, by rights, should not raise a sweat in opening his 2019 campaign with a victory at the annual Hawke’s Bay athletics meet. It’s been a long, long time since Gill has thrown further than him in competition; and the 24-year-old Aucklander is coming back from a long spell out while he dealt with a debilitating heart problem.
By all accounts Gill has put that behind him and is ready to rumble again in the concrete circle, though he clearly has a lot of ground to make up to get back anywhere near the Christchurchbased pride of Timaru who is coming off a 2018 campaign where he netted Commonwealth, world indoors and Diamond League titles, and tossed the silver sphere out as far as 22.67 metres.
It’s the furthest anybody has thrown the put in 28 years, and might well be the ‘‘clean’’ world record, given the clouded nature of the event through the 1970s and ‘80s.
But when it comes to Gill, who ruled the sport as a junior, Walsh has learned to never take anything for granted. .
‘‘By all reports he’s coming through well, and is in pretty good nick,’’ Walsh told Stuff before heading north to the Hawke’s Bay. ‘‘He’s been throwing reasonably well in training. I’ve said this many times: part of the reason both of us were very good at the ages we were was because we both pushed each other to get better.’’
Walsh jokes about what Gill’s presence means in a field that also includes New Zealand’s top young prospects in Ryan Ballantyne and Nick Palmer. But the intent is serious.
‘‘I know if I ever lose to him my phone will be going crazy, and as much as I love talking to you guys I don’t know if I can handle all of you at once,’’ he says with a grin.
‘‘But, seriously, I pride myself on turning up to all the competitions I’m at, even if they are in New Zealand and the first of the year. I don’t want to start my year with an ‘L’.’’
The other feature event of the Potts Classic programme will see Kiwi pole vault star Eliza McCartney step out in her return from the nagging heel injury that curtailed her 2018 campaign.
McCartney (PB 4.94m) should have too much class for an international field that includes her young New Zealand rival, Olivia McTaggart (4.45), Finland’s Wilma Murto (4.71), Portugal’s Marta Onofre (4.51) and Belgium’s Chloe Henry (4.42m).
The meet begins at 1pm tomorrow with track events under way from 5.30pm.