Jacko Gill
AUCKLAND
Throwers Meeting, Sovereign Stadium North Shore – 23 April 2011
Les Mills’ 44 year old New Zealand shot put record was broken on Saturday when 16 year old Jacko Gill hoisted the 7.26kg ball of steel out to an incredible 20.01m. The world class performance came in the second round after he had opened with 19.98m.
He broke Les Mills’ 1966 resident record of 19.51m set in Auckland in 1966 and national record of 19.80m set in Honolulu in 1967. Britain’s Geoff Capes holds the New Zealand allcomers record at 20.76m. He set the record at Mt Smart Stadium in January 1980, adding two centimetres to his own record set at the 1974 Christchurch Commonwealth Games.
Gill also became the youngest ever athlete by two years seven months to throw over 20 metres beating Mike Carter of America, the previous youngest. He also set world bests for 16 year old and 17 year old, improving on the 18.72m by Arnold Campbell of USA in 1983 at 16 and 19.63m by Udo Beyer of Germany in 1973 at 17. Beyer went on to win the gold medal in the shot put at the 1976 Montreal and the bronze medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games.
It is believed that Gill at 96kg is also the first athlete under 100kg in weight to throw over 20 metres.
“I’ve trained very hard for this, six to seven hours a day. Les Mills is right up there and to get his records is a dream in itself,” said Gill.
Mills said that he was not surprised that Gill had broken his resident and national records. “I thought Jacko was probably six months off breaking it. I’m delighted he has done it, it was time that record was broken, and by a 16 year old that’s phenomenal” said Mills.
“I look at him with a lot of awe, it is not only a physical thing but a huge mental thing that drives a young man like that to train five to six hours a day. He could be our greatest ever athlete and that is saying something with Peter Snell out there,” said Mills who represented New Zealand at four Olympic and four Commonwealth Games.
At only 17 at the time of next year’s London Olympic Games Mills believes he could be amongst the medals in the shot put. “Who would know what this young man can do. Never has there been in the history of athletics a thrower like Jacko, he could be the greatest young shot putter that’s ever been,” added Mills.
Gill’s father Walter, New Zealand shot put champion in 1987 with 16.05m and in 1989 with 16.19m, said that Jacko’s performance was incredible.
“He had done 19.10m in training and was consistently out to 18.60m to 18.70m so when he did 19.98m in the opening round I thought that was it, he will have to live with that for the next year, but he is very competitive and has that x factor.
“To then come out in the next round and do 20.01m that now ranks him 14th in the world this year was incredible,” said Walter.
Reese Hoffa of America leads the world rankings with 21.56m. The world record is 23.12m held set American Randy Barnes in 1990.
Speak Your Mind