World Champion Tom Walsh has won gold in the men's shot put at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games to claim New Zealand's second medal of the track and field competition.
New Zealand shot put champion and Commonwealth Game gold medallist Tom Walsh. Photo: Photosport
Walsh won with a best throw of 21.41m, not enough to break the Games record he set in qualifying, but enough for the New Zealander to win by more than 20 centimetres.
Walsh, the current indoor and outdoor world champion, won silver at the 2014 Glasgow Games behind Jamaica's O'Dayne Richards, who claimed third tonight on the Gold Coast, with Nigeria's Chukwuebuka Enekwechi, who threw a personal best 21.14, taking silver.
He's the first New Zealand man to win shot put gold, but he's getting use to these things, he told reporters.
"New Zealand hadn't had a men's world title until I came around, in indoors and outdoors, so I'm pretty stoked to add another one to the tally."
"I'm only missing one," Walsh said. "The Olympic Games, which is another two years away."
"At the end of the day I came here to win gold and that's what I've done."
To celebrate his gold, he would probably have a few beers, he said.
"Have a quiet night, but I feel like I have unfinished business to attend to. I'm in good enough shape to throw over that [world record] 23m line."
