It’s pretty insane right now. Those were the words Tim Nedow used to describe the level competition in the shot put, globally. After Saturday’s final at the IAAF World Championships in Athletics, not many individuals would disagree with his assertion.
Even before Nedow had entered the circle, American Ryan Crouser had surpassed the 32 year old championship record of 22.23m held by Austria’s Werner Günthör, providing just a glimpse of what was to come.
After opening with a fault in round one, Nedow stepped back into the circle for his second throw, pushing the 16 pound ball out to 20.50 metres.
“I had the goal of coming in and throwing close to a PB. I’d like to throw 21.10. It was kind of my goal,” said Nedow of his pre-comp mentality.
Unfortunately for the Brockville native, he fell short of his goal, only able to muster a 20.85 metre effort in round three. This left Nedow in ninth, and about a foot outside of advancing to the final three throws.
“I’m pretty disappointed,” was Nedow’s very succinct summary of his feelings on the competition. “I know I was in shape to do it (hit goal), so that’s the most disappointing part.”
As a summary of the strength of competition in Saturday’s shot put final, the eighth place cut off of 21.18 metres was the highest in Championship history and four athletes bettered the Championship record. While Nedow’s mark would have been good enough to be on the podium four times in the history of the event, it took a mind boggling 22.90 metres to grab a medal this time around.
Next up for Nedow is a little rest as he begins his preparation for next year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo. “I’m not going to take too much time off. I feel healthy and my technique is starting to click. And after today, I need to bring it next year.”