Walsh aims to retain world indoor medal title for 10th year in Glasgow | News | Glasgow 24

Ten years after winning the first of his four world indoor medals, Tom Walsh wanted to try something new.

The 2014 World Indoor Championships in Sopot was a breakthrough for the then 22-year-old Walsh, who threw an Oceanian record 21.26m to take bronze in the shot put behind Ryan Whiting and David Stoll. . Following a gold medal in Portland two years later, Walsh retained that title in Birmingham in 2018 and went on to win a bronze medal in Belgrade in 2022.

Prior to the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold Championships in Ostrava on January 30th, these four world championships are the only indoor competitions Walsh has competed in, and they were a huge success. Aiming for her fifth consecutive world indoor medal World Athletics Indoor Championships Glasgow 24he chose a different path.

Five meetings later, the decision has paid off, and Walsh is not only clearly in better shape, but also has another indoor title on his resume: 2024 World Track and Field Indoor Tour Champion. .

Tom Walsh in Madrid (© Sergio Mateo Maria)

“I’ve been touring for 10 or 11 years now, and I can’t do much new stuff,” he said in Ostrava. “I’ve always wanted to do an indoor circuit, but things weren’t right until now.

“I’ve always really enjoyed the World Indoor Championships. It’s obviously been very good for me. So I just wanted to try something new. The important thing is that the depth of the competition And to challenge as much as I can against the best players in the world.”

After the season opener in Ostrava, Walsh played matches in Livin, Belgrade, Nevvizdy and Madrid. His season-best 22.16m puts him tied for third on this year’s world top list, and his consistency was rewarded with a World Indoor Tour title.

And after confirming his overall title win in Madrid, Walsh explained how he still has “plenty of gas” left for Glasgow. In Glasgow on Friday (1st), world record holder Ryan Crowther and world silver medalist Leonardo Fabbri.

10 years at the top

Walsh is one of the driving forces behind the dramatic development of men’s shot put over the past decade.

In 2014, the year Walsh won his first world indoor medal, Whiting’s 22.23m at the U.S. Indoor Championships was the world’s best, and the world record of 23.12m remains with Randy Burns, making him the second athlete in the same year to exceed 22m. Ta. In 2018, when Walsh set the best record of 22.67 meters at the Auckland Games, seven athletes threw over 22 meters. In 2023, that number will be 11, led by Krauser’s world record of 23.56 meters.

Ryan Whiting and Tom Walsh in Sopot, 2014 (© Getty Images)

That depth has led to some epic clashes, including the 2019 World Championship final in Doha. In that match, American Joe Kovacs threw 22.91 meters, and both Krauser and Walsh threw 22.90 meters, which remains Walsh’s personal record.

So what has changed in the past decade from Walsh’s perspective?

“I’ve gained about 15 kilograms and looked 10 years older!” he added with a laugh. “When I first came out in 2013 or 2014, I could win matches even with a height of 21 meters, low 21 meters. In fact, I remember that I won at the Zagreb World Challenge with a height of 20.69 meters. was my first big international win. All the players at the time were there: Reece Hoffa, Christian Cantwell, Ryan Whiting, Tomasz Majewski. That changed. Now you can throw a 22 mid and get 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th.

“We have depth as well. I think we had 11 guys who threw 22 meters last year, so this is really incredible.”

But Walsh says that even as his sports field proliferates, there are others that haven’t kept up.

“Performance has improved dramatically and depth has increased, but I think the one thing that has definitely decreased is sponsorship,” he says. “I think Ryan and Joe are the only two guys in the men’s shot put that are sponsored[by apparel brands]. They absolutely deserve it, but the rest of the guys don’t, and I don’t think so. Contained in it.

“I think it’s unfortunate for shot put and for our sport. Maybe as athletes we can sell our stories better to get more people interested. As athletes, we also have to do our part to do what we can on social media, videos, etc. about what we’re going through, how our training went, and everything else. We have to tell our stories. It’s a two-way street.”

Walsh is active on social media and enjoys sharing his training insights. I see myself coaching and mentoring in the future.

“I’m pretty open to helping people,” he says. “My mom says I tell people too much! But I can just tell them as much as they want, but I don’t know how it works for them or how it works for me. For example, I can tell them how many reps and sets I do in the gym, how many days I throw, and how many days I lift. but they don’t necessarily know why I do.

“I’m happy to help people, to mentor people, to point people in the right direction, to let them know about the mistakes I’ve made, because I’ve done a lot of things.”

different kind of putting

For now, Walsh’s focus remains on his performance and the chance to extend his streak of men’s world indoor shot put medals in Glasgow.

“If you want to win this year’s world indoor championships, you’re going to have to throw far,” Walsh said. He also has a chance to add to his two bronze medals at the Paris Olympics in August.

“If I can do well at the major championships, it will show that what I’ve been doing lately is paying off and I’ll be a good player again for the second half of the year.”

But winning a medal is not his only ambition in Glasgow.

“In 2014, the Commonwealth Games were also held in Glasgow,” he recalls. “I remember coming second to Odein Richards and I was a little frustrated at the time.

“I love Scotland. In fact, after the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, New Zealand high jumper Hamish Kerr and I went golfing around Scotland several times. We are keen golfers and , apparently Scotland loves golf.

“I have two free days[after the World Indoor Championships]so I’m trying to figure something out around Glasgow. If anyone knows of anything please let me know!”

Jess Whittington of World Athletics