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Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images
Kiwi Tom Walsh, seen here competing in Florence earlier this month, was once again upstaged by Ryan Crouser.
Tom Walsh found himself in a familiar position at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meet in the Czech Republic on Tuesday (Wednesday NZT).
Once again, the Kiwi shot put ace had to settle for second behind long-time nemesis Ryan Crouser after producing a best throw of 22.15 metres in the northeastern city of Ostrava.
That was no match for the peerless Crouser, the two-time reigning Olympic champion and world record holder, who blew away a strong field with a meeting record of 22.63m.
Home favourite Tomáš Staněk of the Czech Republic took third with a season’s best 21.71m, with Italy’s Leonardo Fabbri fourth (21.37m).
Fresh off throwing a season’s best 22.22m in Poland earlier this month, Walsh, the 31-year-old former world champion from Christchurch, was aiming to finally get one over Crouser at an event that serves as preparation for the world championships in Budapest in late August.
But the American’s first-up throw of 22.17m proved beyond Walsh as the New Zealander only managed one effort north of 22 metres, at the fourth time of asking.
Walsh started his set with a modest 21.40m, before throws of 21.38m and 21.82m as he struggled to find his rhythm.
USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix
Kiwi Tom Walsh was no match for his giant American rival at the USATF grand prix meet.
After his fourth throw of 22.15m shot him up to second on the leaderboard, the New Zealander finished his series with a disappointing 21.23m and a foul.
Crouser’s best effort came on his second attempt and he never looked in danger of being overhauled as he sent an ominous warning to his fellow competitors ahead of the worlds, particularly as he had been battling jet lag.
“I am happy with the result, especially considering how I felt – I felt pretty good earlier in the day, but then right around round one the jet lag set in,” Crouser, who has only been in Europe for three days, said after his comfortable victory.
“I had one of the worst warm-ups that I have ever had. It’s been a long time since I last had warmed up that poorly. So, considering how the body felt, and how the warm-up went, I am happy with 22.63.
“All in all, it was a very good day. It wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t very technically proficient at all, but to throw a really ugly 22.60 plus is always good.
Crouser won gold at the last year’s world championships in Eugene, Oregon with a winning distance of 22.94 as the United States swept the podium.
Joe Kovacs was second with compatriot Josh Awotunde third. Two-time Olympic bronze medallist Walsh finished fourth with a best throw of 22.08m.
Neither Kovacs nor Awotunde were competing in Ostrava.
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