Tom Walsh and Roger Steen announced the 12th edition of the Ivan Ivančić Memorial
For the thirteenth time, the world’s best shot putters will compete outside a stadium as part of the Boris Hanžeković Memorial, and for the twelfth time their competition will bear the name of the Ivan Ivančić Memorial, in honor of the great Croatian athletics coach.
On Thursday at 7:45 PM next to the Zagreb Fountains (free admission for spectators), the world’s shot put elite will gather once again, and one of the biggest names among them is Tom Walsh (NZL).
The New Zealander became world champion in London in 2017 and has also won two Olympic bronze medals. Indoors, he has been crowned world champion four times, including at this March. He has repeatedly emphasized that Zagreb is his favorite European meeting, and his affection for the Croatian capital is reflected in his five victories there.
“This is a special place for me. I achieved my first major international success here. The fans are always fantastic, they support all the throwers, and I feel very comfortable here. Zagreb is my European home,” Walsh said at today’s press conference.
Incidentally, Walsh has only one fewer victory at the Fountains than Ryan Crouser.
“I’ll have to do something about that!”
As mentioned, he won the world indoor title in Toruń during the winter, while his best outdoor result this season is 21.49 meters.
“The indoor season was excellent, but my three Diamond League appearances were quite frustrating. This summer we have the Commonwealth Games, and we’re building our form toward that. I feel I’m on the right track, I’ve started getting my energy back, and I hope to make the most of it here. We have a very strong competition ahead of us—we all know how far you have to throw here to win. In the past we’ve had rain, sometimes very heavy rain, but tomorrow it will be warm, which is good.”
American Roger Steen steadily worked his way to the top, and over the last two years he has finished on the podium at the World Indoor Championships—winning silver in Nanjing last year and bronze in Toruń this March. He has been a regular visitor to Zagreb in recent years, but is still waiting for his first top-three finish there.
“I expect much better throws than in previous years. I’m happy to be back, training has been going really well, and the plan is to throw beyond 22 meters tomorrow,” Steen revealed.
His personal best stands at 22.11 meters, and during the indoor season he came very close to matching it with a throw of 22.07 meters.
In addition to Walsh and Steen, the athletes chasing victory at the Ivan Ivančić Memorial will include reigning European champion Leonardo Fabbri, world silver medalist Uziel Muñoz, Paris Olympic bronze medalist Rajindra Campbell, and 2022 World Championships bronze medalist Josh Awotunde. In total, the start list features no fewer than seven athletes who have thrown 22 meters during their careers.
Foto: Antonio Bronić/BHM