Athletics: Coach believes Gill can make Olympics

Jacko Gill has been described as an 'exceptional' athlete by his coach Didier Pope. Photo / Paul Estcourt

Didier Poppe is wary of outlandish claims on behalf of his star shot putting pupil, Jacko Gill.

That said, the French coach rates the 15-year-old Takapuna College serial record-breaker as "exceptional".

"You will not find anyone like him anywhere in my career," Poppe, a 35-year coaching veteran, said after Gill waltzed to his latest best national mark, winning the national secondary schools title for 17-year-olds in Hastings last weekend.

Gill threw the 5kg shot 23.86m, adding more than half a metre to the previous world best for a 17-year-old. He beat the mark set by Pole Krzysztof Brzozowski in the Youth Olympics in Singapore in August by 63cm.

Gill, the world junior champion, now holds world records for the 5kg and 6kg shot in every age group from 14 to 17 years, plus the world best mark for 16 years for the open-weight 7.26kg stone - 18.57m set in Noumea in October.

Three times in that event he eclipsed the 17.26m record set 28 years ago by American Arnold Campbell.

Throwers use a 5kg stone at 16 and 17 years, 6kg at 18 and 19, and step up to 7.26kg in senior competition.

"Jacko has the most incredible rate of improvement I have ever seen," Poppe said. "Every day is a surprise to me."

Gill, who turns 16 next Monday, is aiming to push his 18.57m world mark out further when he contests the Waikato Bay of Plenty annual meeting at Porritt Stadium on Saturday.

However Poppe, while excited about Gill's prodigious talent, is cautious when looking at the longer term.

He has seen other similarly gifted athletes fall away in their late teens for all sorts of reasons, ranging from lack of motivation to their rate of improvement bottoming out, to changing priorities to chasing money in American football.

Still Gill's single-mindedness impresses him.

"This may be a bit early to be talking of a champion," he said.

"One never knows with teenagers but at the moment I don't see any reason why he should not keep improving. Obviously he won't improve at the same rate because he has been absolutely incredible."

Poppe cited technical elements, speed, balance and strength as areas where Gill can develop.

The teenager is ineligible for next year's world athletics championships in Korea but has targeted the London Olympics in 2012.

"If I did not know Jacko I would say, 'No, it is not possible,"' said Poppe, who was also Valerie Adams' coach until recently.

"But with him I think it is very realistic. On Saturday, he threw nearly 24m with the 5kg. That is [the equivalent of] nearly 19.5m with the 7kg, which is already close to the qualifying level."

At first glance Gill looks more like a middle-distance runner than a shot putter. But his strength is in his muscular fibre - "the ability to produce speed" - and his mind.

"His mind is so strong, absolutely exceptional, and when he decides something he does everything he can to achieve his goal.

"And so far, every goal he has set he has achieved."

For all the athletes who fall away, there are others who don't.

"Valerie was superwoman when she was 17 and she kept going and improving. Everything is possible."