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Commonwealth shot put champion Tom Walsh will get a chance to avenge his shock loss to Jacko Gill at last weekend’s national championships when the two rivals lock horns again in Auckland next week.
Walsh’s 13-year reign as national champion came to a surprise end last weekend when Gill threw 21.8m to take out the title in Wellington.
And 31-year-old double Olympic bronze medallist Walsh is clearly eager to right that wrong as soon as possible, adjusting his schedule to compete in the season-ending Sir Graeme Douglas International meet on Thursday night.
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Walsh had originally intended to end his season after his outing in the capital, but after Gill ended his long winning streak at the nationals he decided to join the field at the Trusts Arena.
“I was very disappointed with my performance in Wellington,” Walsh, who could only muster 21.25m on the day, admitted.
“I went into nationals hoping to win, and to throw poorly and for Jacko to win that comp unchallenged was very frustrating.
David Ramos/Getty Images
Commonwealth Games gold medallist Tom Walsh is desperate to avenge his defeat at the nationals.
“I didn’t handle the pressure very well at nationals. It is the top six inches that make the difference, and by competing up in Auckland I hope to handle that pressure better this time around.”
Gill, who won silver behind Walsh at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham last year, was in sparkling form at Newtown Park, his 21.80m effort the second best throw of his career.
Walsh, by his sky-high standards, was below par and is aiming to finish his domestic season on a high by going long in Auckland.
“Looking at the season as a whole, apart from one meet, it has gone really well. I need to think of the big picture, and I want to be at my peak at the world athletics championships in Budapest in August,” Walsh said reflecting on a campaign in which he threw a season’s best of 21.80m in Christchurch last month.
“Having said that, Sir Graeme Douglas is another chance to compete under pressure and I’m looking forward to see how I can handle it.”
David Ramos/Getty Images
The rivalry between Tom Walsh and Jacko Gill has heated up since their Commonwealth Games one-two.
Walsh has fond memories of the Auckland meet, having thrown a national record of 22.67m there five years ago.
“The Sir Graeme Douglas is one of the big meets in New Zealand, it’s a good circle, close to the crowd and I know Jacko is in good shape and will want to throw far again. But it has been a happy hunting ground for me in the past, and I just hope to manage any stresses and thrive in that environment.”
The men’s shot put competition will take place from 6.15pm on Thursday.
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