Walsh smashes records and moves up World all-time list

Tom Walsh lit up the Sir Graeme Douglas International Track & Field Challenge in West Auckland to fire out a massive throw of 22.67m and take out four records in one hit.

The 26 year old from Geraldine pushed out the incredible throw on his second round attempt to astound the knowledgeable crowd of track fans and blow apart the field of international shot putters assembled for Athletics New Zealands 2018 International Series.

Walshs throw not only improved his personal best by 0.36m - it also improved the NZ National, Resident and All-comers records along with the Oceania record.

Second place in the competition went to American Ryan Whiting with a respectable 20.99m, 1.68m adrift of the Kiwi with Konrad Bukowiecki (Poland) third on 20.75m.

The big throw at Douglas Track & Field in Henderson ranks Walsh sixth equal on the on the all-time world shot put list and is the longest throw in the world since 2003.

Walshs best now lies just 45cm short of the world record of 23.12m set by Randy Barnes (USA) who was later given a life ban for two doping offences.

Dame Valerie Adams improved again to post a best of 18.48m in the womens shot put, the same distance as Canadian Brittany Crew, but winning the completion with a superior second best throw (18.30 to 18.24).

The throw signals further improvement for the double Olympic and triple Commonwealth Champion in her third competition back after an 18 month break which included the birth of her daughter five months ago.

Adams now looks forward to her fifth Commonwealth Games and vows to do her best to medal yet again.

Finishing in third place was Tori Owers of Canterbury with a seasons best of 17.01m, happy to finish her season on a high.

Pole vaulter Eliza McCartney now sets herself such high standards, that she was slightly disappointed with her winning height of 4.75m despite it being just 0.07m short of her best and attempting what would have been a national record and personal best 4.85m.

The 21 year old from Devonport now heads to the Gold Coast in very good heart to try to collect gold in her first attempt at the Commonwealth Games.

Young vaulter Imogen Ayris moved her personal best up to 4.20m to improve her chances at the 2018 World Junior Championships later this year.

Nick Southgate won a close battle with Canadian vaulter Deryk Theodore, both clearing 5.28m but the Gold Coast-bound Aucklander taking the win with fewer failures.

On the track, Joseph Millar was again frustrated with head winds but came out on top, winning the mens 100m and 200m races handsomely.

Guernsey international Cameron Chalmers took the win in the mens 400m over Kiwi training partner Cameron French while Sam Petty ran a tenacious 800m to take first place.

The Sir John Walker Junior mile went to the son of ones of Walkers adversaries, Theo Quax in a personal best of 4:08.16, ahead fellow Aucklander James Uhlenberg and Benjamin Wall from Manawatu Whanganui.

The meeting was the final event in the Athletics NZ International Series and brings down the curtain on the senior domestic summer track and field season.

Eighteen athletes will go on to compete at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in April.

Results

Men

Shot put: Tom Walsh 22.67m (NZ allcomers, resident, national & Oceania records) 1, Ryan Whiting (USA) 20.99m 2, Konrad Bukowiecki (Poland) 20.75m 3, ODayne Richards (Jamaica) 19.80m 4.

Pole vault: Nick Southgate 5.28m 1, Deryk Theodore (Canada) 5.28m 2, James Steyn 4.68m 3.

100m: Joseph Millar 10.75s 1, Dominic Overend 11.09s 2, Cody Wilson 11.28s 3.

200m: Millar 21.43s 1, Tyron Hilton 22.34s 2, Wilson 22.67s 3.

400m: Cameron Chalmers (Guernsey) 46.45s 1, Cameron French 46.88s 2, Michael Goldie 48.35s 3.

800m: Sam Petty 1m 51.15s 1, Alex Beddoes (Cook Islands) 1m 52.52s 2, Max Spencer 1m 52.74s 3.

Sir John Walker junior mile: Theo Quax 4m 8.16s 1, James Uhlenberg 4m 18.62s 2, Benjamin Wall 4m 20.06s 3.

Women

Shot put: Dame Valerie Adams 18.48m 1, Brittany Crew (Canada) 18.48m 2, Torie Owers 17.01m 3.

Pole vault: Eliza McCartney 4.75m 1, Morgann LeLeux (USA) 4.35m 2, Imogen Ayris 4.20m 3.

100m: Leilani Faaiuso 13.01s 1, Lauren Henry 16.16s 2.

400m: Brooke Cull 54.83s 1, Katrina Anderson 56.57s 2, Meg Hamilton-Reid 57.41s 3.

- This story has been automatically published using a media release from Athletics New Zealand