12 Sep 2015

Walsh wins gold in Brussels

1:28 pm on 12 September 2015

New Zealand shot putter Tom Walsh has won gold at the year's final Diamond League meeting in Brussels.

New Zealand shot putter Tom Walsh

New Zealand shot putter Tom Walsh Photo: PHOTOSPORT

It's the 23-year-old's maiden Diamond League victory and one of the best results of his burgeoning career.

Walsh beat all three medallists from last month's World Championships in Beijing on the way to gold in Brussels, and finished the Diamond League season in third place overall.

It was a close competition, with just four centimetres separating the top three finishers.

Jamaican O'Dayne Richards, bronze medallist in Beijing and Commonwealth champion in 2014, set out the challenge in round one with a throw of 21.37m.

Walsh surpassed that mark by two cm in round three to take the lead.

World Champion American Joe Kovacs then threw 21.35m in round four to come within four cm of Walsh and move into third.

Kovacs' bronze medal was enough to secure the Diamond League season victory over German former World Champion David Storl, who finished fourth in Brussels.

Rounding out the top five was World Indoor Champion American Ryan Whiting,

Walsh said he was really happy with the way he threw, and was now looking forward to one more event (Bad Kostritz, in Germany, on Monday NZ time) before heading home.