Disappointed athlete switches focus

Jacko Gill says his $15,000 award will be a big help in his intensive training. Photo / Dean Purcell

He could have fudged around the issue, but Jacko Gill prefers to tackle most things head on.

So when asked whether it was disappointing not to have been confirmed in the New Zealand athletics team to compete at the London Olympics, the 17-year-old shot put sensation did not miss his mark.

"Yeah, it was," he said. "I was probably expecting to be named.

"Not being a liar, it would have helped to be named straight away.

"There was a 'B' qualifying, set by IAAF, which was 20m. I did that. Then it was set to 20.30m by Athletics New Zealand to try to make it harder and to demonstrate you can make the top 16. I did that. I'm now kind of wondering what I have to do."

Athletics NZ said Gill was one of five athletes whose selection was pending, but who would be in limbo until July.

That has prompted Gill to switch his focus from London to the world junior championships at Barcelona, a fortnight before the Olympics.

"It makes sense to concentrate on the one I have been named for," he said. "They're the first so they're at the forefront of my mind. I'm up against the Polish guy, Krzysztof Brzozowski, who beat me last time at the world youth Olympics.

"He's the only guy who has beaten me in a competition in my career, so I really want to beat him."

The junior shot is lighter, which means a balancing act between speed and strength training.

Gill yesterday collected the $15,000 grant for the Westpac emerging talent award at the Halberg Awards.

"I don't have a normal day job," he said, "so this will help a lot."