Jacko Gill (L) and Tom Walsh celebrate their one-two finish in the men's shot put final. Photo / Photosport
Jacko Gill (L) and Tom Walsh celebrate their one-two finish in the men's shot put final. Photo / Photosport
By Kris Shannon in Birmingham
Tom Walsh said before competition began that on a good day he was untouchable. Today was a very good day. And not just for Walsh.
The defending champion claimed his second straight shot put gold medal at the Commonwealth Games, essentially sealing victory with his firstthrow before applying an exclamation mark with his last.
Walsh opened the event with a commanding effort of 21.98m, which surpassed the personal-best distance of everyone else in the field, and finished it off with a 22.26m flourish.
"I got hold of the last one a little bit," he said with a smile.
Adding to the Kiwi supremacy at Alexander Stadium, Walsh was joined on the podium by compatriot Jacko Gill, who won his first medal at a major championships by seizing silver with a new personal best of 21.90m.
The pair unleashed 12 of the top 13 throws in the competition, the best of those seeing Walsh secure New Zealand's 17th gold in Birmingham, equalling the record set at Auckland 1990.
The triumph offered Walsh the perfect capstone to a Games that began when he led out the New Zealand team at the same venue last week, carrying the flag alongside Joelle King.
Tom Walsh was all smiles following his final throw to secure gold. Photo / Photosport
It also provided a gleaming consolation prize after he surprisingly failed to reach the podium at last month's world championships, after which Walsh said he had "a rocket up the arse" to again prove his abilities.
Sufficiently fired up, his two Commonwealth Games golds now sit alongside the silver he won in Glasgow and the Olympic bronze medals he picked up in Rio and Tokyo.
"In Oregon, I was probably happy with one or two throws," Walsh said. "I was happy with five throws out there today. I've been nailing some things in training and was able to bring it out there tonight. And if I didn't, I wouldn't have won."
That owed much to Gill's breakout performance. Having earned earlier prominence than his senior compatriot, Gill had never quite converted his junior exploits to senior accolades.
But after last month finishing seventh for the second world championships in a row, the 27-year-old was the only athlete in the 12-man final who looked capable of challenging Walsh.
That's not to say the favourite ever lacked control, though. Unlike the drama that nearly derailed Walsh in Tokyo, where he narrowly escaped disqualification, this was relatively straightforward.
The 30-year-old stepped into the circle in Birmingham and immediately pushed his first attempt to the 22-metre line, falling a couple of centimetres short of that mark but climbing half a step towards the top of the podium.
Jacko Gill (L) and Tom Walsh celebrate their one-two finish in the men's shot put final. Photo / Photosport
Sitting down with his arm draped over the back of a chair, Walsh appeared supremely relaxed, and later confirmed that appearance was no accident.
"When I throw well, I'm talking a bit of smack to the guys, I'm sitting back relaxing, I'm looking at the crowd, seeing if I know anyone," he said. "I felt relaxed out there and that's when I throw well. That's what I was trying to do - and didn't do at worlds."
At the halfway mark, Walsh's opening salvo stood well clear of Gill in second with 20.88m. And although the gap would close, the gold belonged to Walsh before his last attempt, issuing one last reminder of his dominance then wheeling away in delight.
There will be little time to further enjoy the moment, with Walsh flying to Poland in the morning to begin a competition in the afternoon. But there is one special celebration marked in his calendar: a trip north for a game of golf with fellow gold medallist Hamish Kerr.
"Me and Hamy are going to lose some balls in the Scottish oceans."
