Shot Put Showdown: Tom Walsh And Jacko Gill To Headline Sir Graeme Douglas International

New Zealand’s premier shot-put stars Tom Walsh and Jacko Gill are set to take centre stage at the 2025 Sir Graeme Douglas International in Auckland, with a world-class battle between two of the country’s greatest throwers on the menu.

The Douglas Track & Field Stadium will again host Auckland’s only World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze event as the Summer Circuit comes to town on Sunday, February 9. Walsh and Gill will lead a stacked lineup of international and domestic talent.

Walsh and Gill have dominated the New Zealand men’s shot-put scene for over a decade.

Walsh has a long list of achievements throughout his career, including being the 2017 World Champion, the 2016 and 2020 Olympic bronze medallists, and the 2024 World Indoor silver medallist. Returning for his first competition, Walsh will be looking to entertain and make a strong impression to kick off his 2025 season.

Gill, who finished sixth at the Tokyo Olympics and won silver at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, has developed into one of the world’s elite throwers. His personal best of 22.12m is just shy of Walsh’s national record of 22.90m, setting the stage for another thrilling showdown.

Walsh holds the Sir Graeme Douglas International meet record at 22.67m, set in 2022, and fans will be eager to see if he or Gill can surpass it this year.

Speaking of records, will Lex Revell-Lewis become New Zealand’s fastest man over 400m? After a thrilling performance at the Capital Classic last Wednesday, Revell-Lewis ran a personal best of 46.11, just 0.02 shy of breaking the New Zealand 400m record of 46.09 seconds set by Shaun Farrell in 1998. Revell-Lewis will face a strong field, including Terrell Thorne (AUS), Cooper Sherman (AUS), and Tommy Te-Puni (NZ), as they continue their rivalry in the one-lap race.

Fresh off becoming the fastest man in New Zealand over 60m, with a time of 6.50 seconds at the ACT Championships in Canberra, Tiaan Whelpton shifts his focus to the men’s 100m. He aims to break the meet record of 10.20 seconds set by Jake Doran in 2023.

Young talent Sam Ruthe is back in action, lacing up his spikes for a showdown in the men’s 1500m. This follows his standout performance last weekend at the Potts Classic, where he became the youngest senior men’s national champion in the men's 3000m. The pace will be on with a hot field scheduled, including two runners with PBs in the sub 3.40s.

2024 Paralympic 200m T47 gold medallist Anna Grimaldi will line up in the women’s 100m, while fellow Paralympian Will Steadman makes his return to the 400m, following his T36 400m silver at the 2024 Paralympics.

After their thrilling battle at the Potts Classic, the women’s 400-meter race promises more excitement. Madeline Waddell and Isabel Neal will continue their rivalry. They’ll be joined by Olympian Ellie Beer (AUS), who holds the meet record of 51.77 seconds, set in 2024.

Fellow Australian Bree Masters, the 2024 Olympic 100m semi-finalist, will be gunning for gold in the women’s 100m.

Following an impressive 10.34 second performance in the men’s 100m at the Potts Classic, Shay Veitch returns to his specialty in the men’s long jump, where he’ll seek to break that elusive 8m barrier.

The men’s javelin is ready to take off with the return of Ben Langton-Burnell, who makes his comeback this season after last competing in 2021.

The Sir Graeme Douglas International is shaping up to be a must-watch event.

As a key stop on the 2025 Summer Circuit, the meet offers New Zealand fans the chance to see world class athletics up close.

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