Athletics: Tom Walsh looking to return to ‘best in the world’ conversation in 2023

Tom Walsh will return to action at the Cooks Classic this weekend. Photo / Photosport

Tom Walsh is returning to the shot put circle with a chip on his shoulder.

Last year, the 30-year-old was left waiting on a couple of big throws that didn’t come. While he put in a strong performance to claim gold at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, he was disappointed to only manage a fourth-place finish at the World Championships, and told Newstalk ZB he felt like he had more to give.

“I felt like I probably had maybe one or two big throws at me that I just didn’t get out of the competition last year,” he said.

“This hunger is there for sure, and I think people have somewhat forgotten about me. I’d like to restamp my authority on men’s shot put this year, and remind people that I’m still around and I’m still bloody good.”

That begins this weekend at the Cooks Classic in Whanganui, before a couple of other events in a “short and sharp” New Zealand season over the coming weeks.

Tom Walsh in action. Photo / AP

Walsh will be one of several high-performance athletes in the field at the Whanganui meet. Hamish Kerr (high jump), Sam Tanner (running), Portia Bing (running) and Lauren Bruce (hammer throw) also among the athletes to have competed at last year’s Games in Brimingham to be lining up this weekend.

For Walsh, the New Zealand season is “a bit more of a checkpoint” to take stock on how performances are going as he prepares for the international season — building up to the World Athletics Championships in Budapest in August.

“There’s a long initial build-up overseas that will feature some Diamond Leagues; the calendars for the other competitions are slowly but surely coming out so we’re finding what comps have shot put and don’t,” Walsh said.

“That’ll be from late April until before the World Champs, then a few after as well. It’s another year and I’m really looking forward to reminding people that I’ve still got this.

“It’s not just a Ryan [Crouser] and Joe [Kovacs] race; there’s also another guy who has what it takes and can top them off as well.

“That’s something that motivates me dramatically; being the best shot putter in the world and proving people wrong.”