by Larry EderA fine competition, full of surprises. “No one threw the way that they wanted, ” noted Tomas Walsh. Protests were filed, one by Joe Kovacs, who did not see that he had fouled. Ryan Crouser finished sixth, not finding his groove, and also having some long fouls.
Joe Kovacs, silver medalist, shot put, photo by Photorun.net
Tomas Walsh kept his focus and battled Joe Kovacs and Stipe Zunic as everyone else folded. What is good about this five minute segment? All three shot putters speak about what is essential in the shot put, speaking with affection about their event and speaking with respect about their competitors.
Tomas Walsh, photo by PhotoRun.net
I really like Tomas Walsh. A good guy, a fierce competitor, with a ready smile and the ability to keep his cool in stressful situations, it was Tomas’s day and he took the gold! The shot put requires the ability to compartmentalize, and Walsh does that well. Walsh has confidence and his easy demeanor helped him in the ring during the final.
Stipe Zunic, bronze, CRO, photo by PhotoRun.net
Congrats to Joe Kovacs, who has medaled with gold in Beijing 2015, silver in Rio Di Janeiro 2016, and now, silver in London 2017. Congrats to Stipe Zunic, a former javelin thrower, with a PB of 16 meters in the shot put a few years ago, now has a bronze on the global stage.
