For now, Tom Walsh is happy enough flying under the radar but don't be surprised if another Kiwi teenager achieves the Olympic qualifying standard for the men's shot put before the summer is out.
The eyes of the world are fixed on Auckland kid Jacko Gill (16), who hurled 20.38m
to shatter his own national record and seemingly book his ticket for London last week. But while the country celebrated Gill's talent, Walsh (19) was quietly putting together a remarkable performance of his own.
In fact, the apprentice builder was far more consistent than his younger rival, adding 57 centimetres to his personal best and landing four other throws beyond that previous mark. His 18.83m makes him the world's third-best junior with a 7.26kg senior implement this year, behind Gill and Pole Krzysztof Brzozowski (19.18m). It also ties him for fourth place on the New Zealand all-time rankings behind Gill, and former Commonwealth Games shot medallists Les Mills (19.80m) and Courtney Ireland (19.45m), and equal with former Commonwealth Games discus champion Robin Tait.
History is littered with great athletes who have toiled in the shadow of superstars, largely unnoticed. Tait played second fiddle to Mills his entire career until finally breaking through at Christchurch in 1974. Perhaps that will be Walsh's fate.
"To be honest, when Jacko first came on the scene, I was a bit jealous," he admits. "Now I realise that's not a bad thing for me. I'm just in the background, working away, and the people who know about the sport know I'm here - that's all that matters. Jacko's getting all the hype, but he deserves it, there's no doubt about that."
