Every sport has it. That bottom of the ninth, two outs kind of moment when you have the opportunity to be the hero or the goat. On Thursday, at the IAAF World Championships in Athletics, it was exactly that kind of moment staring down Lions shot put record holder Tim Nedow as he was trying to advance to his first outdoor global final. Boy did he rise to the occasion.
Competing in his fourth outdoor championship, the 6 foot 7 inch behemoth of a man looked prime for a spot in the final. After all, Nedow had heaved the 16 pound steel ball to an outdoor personal best of 21.18 metres earlier this season and captured his seventh straight Canadian Championship this July in Montreal.
With the qualifying standard set out at 20.90 metres, Nedow wound himself up like a corkscrew before unleashing a throw of 20.51 metres in round one. While the result would have qualified him for 15 of the past 16 shot put finals in World Championship history, there was a feeling even in the first round that it would take even more on the day. With only a small improvement to 20.54 metres in the second round and a mounting list of competitors dropping their ball beyond the qualifying mark, the pressure began to mount for Nedow and it was time to rise to the occassion.
Nedow stepped into the seven foot ring for his final throw, loaded his powerful legs in the middle of the circle to give that extra little pop in the shot and drop it beyond the yellow qualifying line in the field. When the scoreboard displayed the distance 20.94, the Brockville native got his big Q and a spot in Saturday’s final.
“It was really my only option because the same throw wasn’t going to cut it,” said Nedow of his final effort. “The other group hasn’t even gone yet and I’m sure there are at least 3 or 4 guys who will get the auto, so I had to get that auto qualifier. 20.50 would cut it a few years ago, but it’s not anymore.”
With a staggering eight men having thrown in excess of the magical 22 metre barrier this year, the level of competition in the event has most certainly risen to levels never before seen in the sport’s history. One need look no further than the start list for Saturday’s final as each and every one of the 12 competitors bettered the qualifying mark on Thursday – the first time in history this has ever happened.
“We have such a strong group of guys, it’s so fun. I’m so proud to be part of this historic shot put final. It’s going to be something crazy.”
The men’s shot put final gets started at 1:05 pm eastern. You can watch the action live at CBC.ca/Sports.