27 August, 2016

Walsh in fine form as MEETING de PARIS gets off to record start

Olympic shot put bronze medallist Tom Walsh won the first event of the MEETING de PARIS, courtesy of an impressive 22m throw – a new meeting record.

The MEETING de PARIS had waited 24 years for such a phenomenal performance in the shot put, since Switzerland’s Werner Günthör achieved a throw of 21.53m back in 1992. Tonight, New Zealander Tom Walsh, who claimed a bronze medal in the discipline in Rio, managed to hit the 22m-mark on his sixth attempt (a personal best and new Oceanian record), beating the Olympic champion Ryan Crouser (USA) by just one centimetre (21.99m). Crouser’s compatriot, Kurt Roberts, took third with an effort of 20.78m. The result sees Walsh moves into the lead in the Diamond League at the expense of Joe Kovacs (USA), whose attempt of 20.18m gave him an eighth-place finish. France’s Frédéric Dagée, who managed a throw of 17.70m, finished 11th.