‘Crazy’ event, zany bet for world-beater Walsh
‘‘We had a bet that if I PB-ed and won, he had to either grow muttonchops for nine months or have a tattoo on his foot.’’
Tom Walsh on his coach Dale Stevenson
Tom Walsh has won the world indoor championships shot put final with an emphatic performance – and collected on a zany bet with his coach.
The Kiwi star threw 22.13m twice in the early rounds of the ‘‘crazy competition’’ in Birmingham yesterday and then, with the title in the bag, came up with a massive 22.31m on his final attempt to set a championship, Oceania and New Zealand record.
New Zealand’s other leading medal hope at the championships, pole vaulter Eliza McCartney, narrowly missed a medal despite a season-best performance.
The 21-year-old Rio Olympic Games bronze medallist cleared
4.75m – her best-ever indoor effort – but had to settle for fourth place.
Walsh’s personal best gold medal performance means his coach, Dale Stevenson, will be sporting muttonchop sideburns after losing a wager to New Zealand’s Sportsman of the Year.
It was a fierce contest, with seven athletes throwing over 21m, the most ever for an indoor shot put competition.
Walsh’s throw, just two days after his 26th birthday, added
0.10m to his NZ and Oceania record and was 0.07m further than the previous championship record of 22.24set by East German Ulf Timmermann 31 years ago in
1987.
The victory means Walsh has won the last three world shot put titles contested – the 2016 Indoor,
2017 Outdoor and 2018 Indoor Championships, proving his temperament at the major championships, and will head into the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games as hot favourite.
‘‘I came here to win but I knew that I would have to throw well to beat these guys,’’ Walsh told
‘‘The last 20 minutes was awesome with the crowd so close and they pushed me to throw far.’’
Walsh said his first goal at Birmingham was to win the gold medal, ‘‘but to get a Games record is something pretty special’’.
‘‘Winning is why I do it, and to defend my title against such a strong field is such an awesome feeling.’’
It also enabled Walsh to win his wager with Stevenson.
‘‘We had a bet that if I PB-ed and won, he had to either grow muttonchops for nine months or have a tattoo on his foot.
‘‘And, of course, I PB-ed and won, so he will have muttonchops for the next nine months.’’
Walsh was sure his Australianborn coach would pay up on his bet.
Walsh will also battle it out with five of the top 16 in Birmingham in Athletics NZ’s International meetings in Timaru, Christchurch and Waitakere later this month.
McCartney proved her worldclass status on her return from a troublesome Achilles tendon injury.
She soared into medal contention by clearing 4.70m on her third attempt, then confidently cleared 4.75m at her first attempt with a big smile beaming across her face.
United States athlete Sandi Morris won the gold medal.