Jacko Gill looks forward to performing well at the IAAF World Youth Championships – Athletics news
Jacko Gill, the sixteen-year-old shot putter from New Zealand looks forward to improve his world record further at the IAAF World Youth Championships already underway in Lille, France.
Gill bagged the 2010 World Junior Championships in Athletics and for doing so, he emerged as the youngest ever male junior athlete of the discipline. Earlier, the record was held by formidable Jamaican athlete, Usain Bolt. Gill grabbed this record in Stockholm,
Sweden, for throwing a 5kg shot at an impressive distance of 22.53m. For the seriousness he has always shown towards his game, the young athlete improved his personal best further at the Youth Olympic Games, where he touched the 22.60 mark.
Appearing on the field at Lille, though the New Zealander has developed an injured finger, he still has managed to make a good start. Unlike the fears about his performance amid the injured finger, he overcame the odds and managed to throw the 5kg heavy
shot put well past the qualifying mark of 19.20m. He managed to mark a distance of 20.75 m.
With a soaring hand, this was an impressive attempt from the Kiwi who is a world leader in the discipline. For now, though he has managed to leave an impression over his competitors, it seems that Braheme Days, the young shot putter from USA, who managed
to hit the 20.06m mark, may set in to give a tough time to the New Zealander as the prestigious athletics event lingers on.
However, undeterred by the expected competition, Gill is quite confident about not only defending his title, but also to mark a new world record in the event. Sharing his feelings over the way he sees the tournament proceeding, he said, “It was easy to get
the qualification. In the final I want to put the shot over 24 metres and win the gold medal.” With such level of confidence, if Gill manages to recover from the hurting finger, he has bright chances of building on his winning streak.
Tags: