Athletics: Walsh sixth in final Zurich Diamond League

Tom Walsh has finished sixth in his final Diamond League meeting of the season, throwing 20.48m at the Weltklasse meeting in Zurich, Switzerland. Photo / Greg Bowker.

Tom Walsh has finished sixth in his final Diamond League meeting of the season, throwing 20.48m at the Weltklasse meeting in Zurich, Switzerland.

Walsh threw his longest in the competition on the first throw of the night, but couldn't improve over the next five attempts.

The 22 year old from Timaru had the satisfaction of beating double Olympic champion Tomasz Majewski from Poland once again and former world champion Christian Cantwell (USA). The competition was won by Reese Hoffa (USA) with 21.88 from David Storl (GER) 21.47 and Joe Kovas (USA) 21.43.

Walsh finished fifth in in the 2014 Diamond League shot put in a stunning breakthrough season, scoring at two of his four Diamond League outings. His season has included grabbing third place at the World Indoor championships, second at the Commonwealth Games and setting a National and Oceania record of 21.26m. The overall Diamond League title for 2014 went to Hoffa (23 points), from Storl (13), Kovacs (10), Cantwell (5) and Walsh (3).

Walsh now heads to Berlin for the ISTAF World Challenge meeting on Monday before his final meeting of a very successful season, the Continental Cup in Marrakech, Morocco.

In the other meeting of the Diamond League final round, the Van Damme Memorial in Brussels on 5 September, Valerie Adams will wrap up her fourth consecutive Diamond League shot put title. The four times world champion will then also head for Marrakech to defend her Continental Cup title.

None of New Zealand's five riders in the endurance event completed the 160km journey, held in atrocious conditions.

Georgia Smith and Glenmore Vixen of Mangaweka were vetted out after the first loop, followed by Otago's Susie Latta on Tkiwa and Braden Cameron of Wellington on Karamea Krusader at the end of the second.

Smith's mother Andrea on Glenmore Tariq looked to be going well until a stumble and fall left her with three broken ribs.

Nelson's Alison Higgins and Northwinds Apollo rode a brave race, but the clock was against them and they were forced to stop at the end of the fourth loop after more than 10 hours on the course.

The event at Sartilly was won by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mahomad Al Maktoum aboard Yamamah of the United Arab Emirates, in 8h 8min 28s, followed by Dutch rider Marijke Visser and Laiza de Jalima in 8:19.07. Spain won the team gold, heading home France and Switzerland - the only three countries with three riders left in the ride.

Just 38 of the more than 170 riders completed the event.