Well, the Olympics have been and gone, and it was a lot of fun. The whole of the NZ team went better than we ever have before with a total of 18 medals - four of them going to the athletics team, which is the best we have done in 40 years, so all up it was a great Games.
I'll wind the clock back a wee bit to start with, as it been a while since you've heard from me. After a great comp in London, I had two more weeks in Athens, Georgia (my base for the past two and a half months) which include one competitive outing. It was structured as a simulation of Rio, so I had a qualifying comp in the morning, and the final at night. It all went to plan, and I finished that night with a best throw of 21.53m, which was pretty encouraging. It was also one of Reese Hoffa's and Adam Nelson's last events - it was awesome to have two legends of the sport to throw with.
I was happy with where I was at coming into Rio. The time in the circle was coming together, and I was getting itchy feet watching the Games from Athens ‐ I was ready to get over there and do my thing.
We arrived in Rio on the 13th, five days before my event. Well, what can i say about Rio - it's an interesting place, huge city and without the specially designated Olympic traffic lanes, it would have taken us forever to get anywhere.
So - the main event! The comp was what we were there for, after all. Qualifying went well, one throw and done, which always was the plan. Automatic qualification was 20.65m, so my 21.03 was comfortable enough. It felt a wee bit safe and short, but it's always good to get in there and do it in one throw. It was also awesome to finally be in the stadium and do what I do best, which is throw. I think I was more nervous for that morning session than the final that night.
