Putting it out there: Walsh leaves man cave for colder climes
Tom Walsh has put the finishing touches on what i s probably New Zealand’s biggest man cave — though he won’t be able to use it for a while.
A side project over the past few years for the shot put exponent and part- time chippie, the 80sq m “garden shed” on his Timaru block of land is finally complete.
It’s a relief to get it done — “like any good tradie, I was running late,” Walsh says with a laugh — but the structure, which encompasses a gym and training area, will be mostly empty next year.
That’s because Walsh is taking a significantly different approach to his 2024 season, one he hopes will lead to the ultimate success in Paris. Ahead of every Olympic year, there is a finetuning of schedules, as athletes look to sharpen for the showpiece.
But Walsh has opted for a big adjustment. For the first time in his career, the 31- year- old will miss most of the New Zealand summer, heading to Europe for a two- month bloc, to take in the world indoor tour.
Walsh’s schedule is to be finalised, but across January and February, there are gold level indoor events in Kazakhstan, the Czech Republic, Poland, France and Spain, along with another 16 on the second tier, ahead of the world indoor championships in Glasgow in early March. It means an extra seven weeks in the Northern Hemisphere.
“I’m trying something new,” Walsh tells the Weekend Herald. “I’ve never done it before but it’s going to be fun.”
The two- time Olympic medallist wants to push himself, with the extra intensity competition can bring. Jacko Gill is a strong domestic rival — especially last season, when he edged Walsh in two national events — but there is a gulf below the pair.
“In New Zealand, there’s only Jacko and myself. He does his schedule and I do mine, and they don’t always line up. I love competing against the top guys. I always take a big step up from training. So it’s about just getting used to that again and comfortable again. I do this sport to challenge myself and to throw against the best.”
WALSH IS recalibrating after a 2023 season full of highs and one glaring low. He was consistent, seven times exceeding 22m, a feat matched only twice in his career ( 2018 and 2019).
That included some monster efforts, with a 22.69m put at the Diamond League final in Eugene the second- longest of his career, and 22.58m in London the fifth- best. He also took out seven international events, including the Diamond League Zagreb meet.
“It was probably an A season; some really big throws, my highest rolling average, it was a good step up.”
But the asterisk which left a “bit of a sour taste” was an “underperformance” at the world championships. Walsh finished fourth in Budapest, the only time he missed the podium in 16 international competitions this year.
“I was capable of a lot more,” says Walsh, whose best of 22.05m trailed American world record holder Ryan Crouser ( 23.51m), Italian bolter Leonardo Fabbri ( 22.34m) and American Joe Kovacs ( 22.12m).
Walsh admitted that mentally, he “didn’t get it right on the day”. That will surprise, given his mindset has been regarded as a key strength over the years.
“My team does an outstanding job of getting me in great physical shape.
I’ve got to make sure I look after the mental side and get that right. That’s always the challenging part; you think you’ve got it, and then all of a sudden, you don’t have it. So I need to keep working on it.”
It hurts that Walsh was flat when it mattered most but he is not going to over- analyse.
“The tricky thing is the rest of my year was outstanding, so you don’t want to read too much into that one hour that didn’t quite go to plan. In most other comps, I overperformed, and my mental state was spot on.
“So you need to be careful to not try to find too much and find the nugget. Sometimes the nugget is not there; you have to keep doing what you’re doing and refine it a little.”
It doesn’t help that Walsh i s competing in a golden era of men’s shot put, with eight or nine capable of breaking 22m.
“It’s the most competitive it has ever been. When I first started, you could win meets with 21.20m, 21.50m. Now you probably won’t be in the top five.”
The other aspect has been his burgeoning rivalry with Gill, which has fuelled local interest in the sport.
“Jacko has kept on getting a bit better every year. It is really important for me to have someone like Jacko around, and for the sport, too. It’s very rare you get t wo people from New Zealand in one event that are as good as [ we are].”
The Aucklander provided an earlyseason spark, relegating Walsh to silver at the national championships and Sir Graeme Douglas events.
“The ego took a hit, that’s for sure,” Walsh says with a laugh. “But it just makes me have to focus a little bit more. I love competing against him.”
WALSH HAS been in training for a month after a six- week break which included marrying long- time partner Dana Mulcahy in Christchurch.
“It was magic. We’ll probably never have all our friends in one place again.”
Walsh, a full- time builder until
2018, has also completed his construction project on their property, which might include the country’s biggest man cave.
“It would be pushing it, for sure —
40sq m on the mezzanine floor,
40sq m on the gym floor — definitely a contender.”
The downstairs area will be used for workouts and training, including a throwing circle, while upstairs i s purely for recreation, with a television lounge, a shuffleboard table and ideally a golf simulator.
“It’s a good spot to chill out and have a few beers.”
He’ll also exhibit a collection of singlets — his and other shot put athletes — as well as jerseys from other sports. It has been behind schedule but now needs only a final inspection.
“One day, I definitely want to spend a lot more time in there, though it might be a bit empty for the next four or five years.”
That’s because Walsh is striving for more, as he eyes Paris — and beyond.
“I’m still loving it, still wanting to make that shot go a long way. I love the challenge of throwing far — it’s like a drug to me. I know I’m not done yet. There are things in shot put I want to achieve that I haven’t, so you just have to keep knocking on the door.”