Athletics: Rising Bay shot-putter eyes overseas meets

INTERNATIONAL SCHEDULE: Hawke's Bay shot putter Nick Palmer on his way to winning his division at the Potts Classic. PHOTO/WARREN BUCKLAND

WIND the clock back to the East Coast North Island Secondary Schools athletics championships in Hastings in March last year.

Back then Karamu High School Year 11 student Nick Palmer was the talk of the meet. He won all three throwing events in the intermediate age group, easily surpassing the selection standard for the following month's North Island championships in all three.

Several texts suggesting Palmer, now 16, would be the next big thing on the Hawke's Bay field event scene came my way. How right those texts were.

Now New Zealand's No 1 under-18 shot putter with a personal best of 18.28m, Palmer is a hot candidate for the Commonwealth Youth Games in the Bahamas in July. Next year's world junior championships in Finland are his longer term goal.

"I'll know after the March open nationals in Hamilton whether or not I'll be going to the Bahamas. One trip which is confirmed and my first overseas trip will be to the Australian national champs in March," Palmer said.

The Hawke's Bay Secondary Schools 2016 Male Athletics Athlete of the Year, Palmer was a convincing winner of his 5kg shot put division at the weekend's Potts Classic Meeting.
He finished with 18.20m. His nearest rival threw 12.39m.

"I had a fair idea I could win the division but I really wasn't looking at the winning margin. I prepare to focus on the distances I hope to achieve. I have a personal best of 19.42m in training, I just have to get it out there in competition," Palmer explained.

Since he was 14 Palmer has competed in the under-18 shot put and hammer events at the New Zealand championships. In 2015 he was fourth in both events and last year he won bronze in the shot put and was fourth in both the under-18 hammer and under-20 shot put events.

Until March last year Palmer was coached by his father Bob, who did field events during his days at Karamu High.

"We sort of stumbled our way through things," Palmer recalled.

For the past 11 months Palmer has been coached by Christchurch-based former Australian athlete Dale Stevenson.

Palmer gets regular tips from Stevenson, who also has Olympian Tom Walsh in his stable, and travels south for sessions with him every three months.

Next month Palmer will tackle the Big Shot event in Christchurch where he will compete in the under-20 division, which will feature some top Aussie competitors.

Last year Palmer broke the Hawke's Bay-Gisborne under-17 hammer record of 53.42m which had stood since 1981 with a 59.42m throw.

"I would have done the hammer at the Potts Classic but they didn't have it there. When I go overseas I'm just going to focus on the shot put because that's what I'm likely to do when I get older so I might as well get used to it now," Palmer added.