Shot putter Tom Walsh feels he's heading in the right direction following his Diamond League triumph in Rome.
The world indoor champion won with his first throw of the competition, reaching a season-best 21.89 metres.
Walsh says it's not often he wins with his initial heave.
He told Jason Pine he had a mixed bag of throws, but he wanted to have a crack at throwing a long way, and that’s exactly what he managed to do.
“Good step in the right direction.”
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from News Talks EDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Here's one the mean shot put at the latest Diamond
League of into Rome.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
This is Tom Walsh, the New Zealander, still in great form.
It wash, that's pretty good as well, very close to
twenty two meters now, that would be as good as
he's done.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
All yeah, so far.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
Pointing to the camera, say there you go, Tom Walsh,
early on setting a mark here. One or two of
the big names have yet to really get the season going.
Twenty one eighty nine for the New Zealander. That puts
him in an early lead.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Here, which he held on to a season base twenty
one point eight nine meters for Tom Walsh, who joins
us now. Thanks for joining us, Tom, congratulations mate. How
do you evaluate what played out in Rome earlier tonight?
Your time?
Speaker 4 (00:56):
Thank you? Thanks Pining.
Speaker 5 (00:57):
Look, it was I was really happy with it. I
think will Chien Sashira in September so quite late. So
I think a lot of guys are in the same
boat with us, figuring out it out again, figuring out
how to make it go a long way. And you
know what I wanted from today's comp was to you know,
give myself six good good goals at throwing it a
long way.
Speaker 4 (01:15):
And and that's exactly what I managed to do. Yeah
I did.
Speaker 5 (01:19):
I did fiddle with one in round two that wasn't
the greatest, but the other five throws were a real
good roll of the dice and in a real good
attempt at making the ball go a long way.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
So yeah, well twenty one eight nine was your was
your winning throw? That was your first throw? Is that
is that typical for you that you throw your furthest
on the first.
Speaker 5 (01:39):
Uh, it's a real mixed bag with me, mate, So
it's really just whatever what really just whatever happens. So yeah,
as I said, I just wanted to have some good
cracks at the throwing a long way and that's exactly
what I managed to do.
Speaker 4 (01:54):
I didn't manage to put them.
Speaker 5 (01:55):
Together, but there was some real good parts of some
of the other throws and some some not so good parts.
So yeah, it was It's a good good comp mate,
good good step in the right direction.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Can you just unpack there for as Tom, you know
you've got your twenty one eight nine, so then for
the next five throws, So what sort of things are
you doing are you are you slightly tweaking things in
each of those? Just unpack that for us?
Speaker 5 (02:15):
Yeah, I guess what I'm trying to really do, mate,
is not try I'm trying to let it go. I'm
trying to essentially just attack it and have a good
crack at it, in a free crack at it, because
as soon as I start fiddling with things, which I
did in round two, it's never a good thing as
soon as I start trying. So it's just about you know,
(02:36):
trying to move without freedom and that flow state that
people talk about and try and make that shot put
go as far as it can without trying.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
To have that's yeah, because I like shot put to
the most of us will be like, you've got to
give it everything. You've got to try as hard as
you possibly can. I know it's different for you. Is
that flow straight up flows? Is that flow state something
you can find yourself in more consistently now?
Speaker 5 (03:02):
It's it's the ever elusive thing, right, So it's what
we're trying to get to all the time. And you know,
the first throw it was really close to being you know,
really good and nailing that flow state, but I just
didn't quite put it together the rest of the time.
So it's, yeah, it's the thing that we're all chasing,
the thing that we're all trying to do or trying
(03:24):
trying not to do, if that makes sense.
Speaker 4 (03:25):
But it's it's just so tricky.
Speaker 5 (03:28):
It's just like in cricket, right, if you're a fast bowler,
it's when you're bowl in the fastest.
Speaker 4 (03:32):
It's not when you're trying to bowl the fastest. It's
when your rhythm and your timing is on.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
You know, looser flow state that a lot of athletes
are chasing. Well, it's a great result for you, Tom.
So you meet your World Champs in September. What about
between now and then, What's what's next for you?
Speaker 5 (03:46):
Yeah, So I've actually got essentially two months off now
until I come back over to Europe and August. So
I've actually got two months in America training there and
kind of regrouping and doing a little bit of a
reload phase in the gym, along with probably some more
technical throwing stuff, but also you know, trying to get
into that into that you know, rhythm of throwing you
(04:10):
know well, and and trusting, trusting the work that we've
done and making it ball go a long way and
then I've got you know, four or five comps and
back in back in Europe, you know, in August to
get ready to Tokyo in September.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
And if you have you committed to Los Angeles twenty
twenty eight.
Speaker 4 (04:29):
I sure have, mate. You've got to put up with
me for another four years.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
There is nothing I would prefer more than chatting to
you for the next three or four years as we
head to Los Angeles. Congrats on what happened in Rome
this morning, Tom, awesome to watch it play out. Thanks
for the chat.
Speaker 4 (04:41):
Mate cool, Thanks Bunny, No, thank.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
You Tom, Tom whilst they're Diamond League champion in Rome
at twenty one point eight nine meters with his first throw,
the flow state, the elusive flow straighter flow state, If
I could say it, I love talking to athletes about
that when they get to the point where it just
all happens naturally for them.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to News York Set B weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from News Talks EDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Here's one the mean shot put at the latest Diamond
League of into Rome.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
This is Tom Walsh, the New Zealander, still in great form.
It wash, that's pretty good as well, very close to
twenty two meters now, that would be as good as
he's done.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
All yeah, so far.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
Pointing to the camera, say there you go, Tom Walsh,
early on setting a mark here. One or two of
the big names have yet to really get the season going.
Twenty one eighty nine for the New Zealander. That puts
him in an early lead.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Here, which he held on to a season base twenty
one point eight nine meters for Tom Walsh, who joins
us now. Thanks for joining us, Tom, congratulations mate. How
do you evaluate what played out in Rome earlier tonight?
Your time?
Speaker 4 (00:56):
Thank you? Thanks Pining.
Speaker 5 (00:57):
Look, it was I was really happy with it. I
think will Chien Sashira in September so quite late. So
I think a lot of guys are in the same
boat with us, figuring out it out again, figuring out
how to make it go a long way. And you
know what I wanted from today's comp was to you know,
give myself six good good goals at throwing it a
long way.
Speaker 4 (01:15):
And and that's exactly what I managed to do. Yeah
I did.
Speaker 5 (01:19):
I did fiddle with one in round two that wasn't
the greatest, but the other five throws were a real
good roll of the dice and in a real good
attempt at making the ball go a long way.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
So yeah, well twenty one eight nine was your was
your winning throw? That was your first throw? Is that
is that typical for you that you throw your furthest
on the first.
Speaker 5 (01:39):
Uh, it's a real mixed bag with me, mate, So
it's really just whatever what really just whatever happens. So yeah,
as I said, I just wanted to have some good
cracks at the throwing a long way and that's exactly
what I managed to do.
Speaker 4 (01:54):
I didn't manage to put them.
Speaker 5 (01:55):
Together, but there was some real good parts of some
of the other throws and some some not so good parts.
So yeah, it was It's a good good comp mate,
good good step in the right direction.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Can you just unpack there for as Tom, you know
you've got your twenty one eight nine, so then for
the next five throws, So what sort of things are
you doing are you are you slightly tweaking things in
each of those? Just unpack that for us?
Speaker 5 (02:15):
Yeah, I guess what I'm trying to really do, mate,
is not try I'm trying to let it go. I'm
trying to essentially just attack it and have a good
crack at it, in a free crack at it, because
as soon as I start fiddling with things, which I
did in round two, it's never a good thing as
soon as I start trying. So it's just about you know,
(02:36):
trying to move without freedom and that flow state that
people talk about and try and make that shot put
go as far as it can without trying.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
To have that's yeah, because I like shot put to
the most of us will be like, you've got to
give it everything. You've got to try as hard as
you possibly can. I know it's different for you. Is
that flow straight up flows? Is that flow state something
you can find yourself in more consistently now?
Speaker 5 (03:02):
It's it's the ever elusive thing, right, So it's what
we're trying to get to all the time. And you know,
the first throw it was really close to being you know,
really good and nailing that flow state, but I just
didn't quite put it together the rest of the time.
So it's, yeah, it's the thing that we're all chasing,
the thing that we're all trying to do or trying
(03:24):
trying not to do, if that makes sense.
Speaker 4 (03:25):
But it's it's just so tricky.
Speaker 5 (03:28):
It's just like in cricket, right, if you're a fast bowler,
it's when you're bowl in the fastest.
Speaker 4 (03:32):
It's not when you're trying to bowl the fastest. It's
when your rhythm and your timing is on.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
You know, looser flow state that a lot of athletes
are chasing. Well, it's a great result for you, Tom.
So you meet your World Champs in September. What about
between now and then, What's what's next for you?
Speaker 5 (03:46):
Yeah, So I've actually got essentially two months off now
until I come back over to Europe and August. So
I've actually got two months in America training there and
kind of regrouping and doing a little bit of a
reload phase in the gym, along with probably some more
technical throwing stuff, but also you know, trying to get
into that into that you know, rhythm of throwing you
(04:10):
know well, and and trusting, trusting the work that we've
done and making it ball go a long way and
then I've got you know, four or five comps and
back in back in Europe, you know, in August to
get ready to Tokyo in September.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
And if you have you committed to Los Angeles twenty
twenty eight.
Speaker 4 (04:29):
I sure have, mate. You've got to put up with
me for another four years.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
There is nothing I would prefer more than chatting to
you for the next three or four years as we
head to Los Angeles. Congrats on what happened in Rome
this morning, Tom, awesome to watch it play out. Thanks
for the chat.
Speaker 4 (04:41):
Mate cool, Thanks Bunny, No, thank.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
You Tom, Tom whilst they're Diamond League champion in Rome
at twenty one point eight nine meters with his first throw,
the flow state, the elusive flow straighter flow state, If
I could say it, I love talking to athletes about
that when they get to the point where it just
all happens naturally for them.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to News York Set B weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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