Tagged with: Shot Put
Tom Walsh didn’t do a whole lot worth bragging about at the Eugene Diamond League meet in Oregon, USA over the weekend – the resumption of the Diamond League circuit after the Olympics. He was probably still suffering from a bit of emotional Olympic hangover syndrome.
This year Tom Walsh claimed Commonwealth Gold over on the Gold Coast, took out gold in the World Indoor Champs to defend his title, and regained the Diamond League trophy he first won in 2016. This is what Tom Walsh does.
Count it at 22.60m. Seven centimetres back on his personal best set in Auckland in March but four centimetres beyond Joe Kovacs’ Diamond League record, one more record to stash on the Wikipedia page for Tomas.
Tom Walsh was already guaranteed the gold at the World Indoor Championships when he stepped up to put his final shot. His first attempt alone would have been enough to win the competition by 69cm… and this was a deep field of dudes.
Honestly, Tom Walsh is one of New Zealand’s top athletes. At this stage he simply has to be. Perhaps he doesn’t look like Sonny Bill Williams when he takes the sleeves off but this guy is an athletic freak in his own right
Despite a pregnancy-induced hiatus for Queen Val, the kiwi Diamond League contingent has actually grown without its long-time pioneer. Tom Walsh is back to defend his crown and he’s been joined by Olympic bronze medallist Eliza McCartney.
Don’t worry New Zealand, despite what you may have heard Valerie Adams wasn’t beaten to Olympic gold by a drug cheat (this time, anyway).
Valerie Adams has competed in 39 shot put meets within the Diamond League calendar in her career. Of those 39 she has finished in the top three on 37 occasions and taken first place on 28 occasions.
You could have been forgiven for thinking after the 2016 Olympics that the sport of men’s shot put was set to be dominated by Ryan Crouser for the foreseeable future.
The Olympics may have only just ended but the noble art-form of shot put knows no interruptions and with that both Valerie Adams and Tom Walsh were straight back into competition in Europe.