Shot put wunderkind Jacko Gill has decided not to compete in the final Millennium shot put competition tomorrow evening.
The 17-year-old Takapuna athlete said his efforts in the past two weeks, including qualifying for the London Olympic Games, breaking his own World Youth record and becoming the second-best ever junior in the world had taken a physical and mental toll on him.
The competition will now focus on a group of talented juniors led by Tomas Walsh from Timaru, who has been throwing in Gill's shadow for the past two years.
Walsh, who has a best of 18.83m with the senior 7.26kg shot and 20.56m with the junior 6.00kg implement, will be hoping to improve his best with the latter and try to lift his current No.5 world junior ranking.
New Zealand Secondary Schools champion Marcus Hayward from the Hauraki Plains and New Plymouth youngster Kyle Van Der Merwe will be out to improve on their bests set in recent weeks.
