by Larry Eder
Tom Walsh, World Champion, shot put, photo by PhotoRun.net
Tom Walsh met with RunBlogRun at the Birmingham DL. We asked Tom to speak to us about how he built his mental strength for his throwing. Tom Walsh told us a story about his first junior international competition. He has used that event to motivate him for his years as a senior athlete. I encourage all coaches to listen to this and learn from it.
Athletes have to figure out their currency. What is important to them? What makes them tick? From there, they must figure out how to approach their competitons. How do they overcome challenging conditions?
That is surely what Tom Walsh did in London, where the officiating was very focused, and the throws were not as long as many expected. In the end of the day, Tom Walsh knew he had to have the longest throw of the night to win, make the the longest legal throw of the night.
And he did.
