Jacko Gill improves again-20.66!

15-year old New Zealander Jacko Gill improved his own National Record to 20.66!
Previous New Zealand U18 National Record 20.42m was thrown in December 2009. WYR stands on 22.79m by Marin Premeru(Croatia).

Flash pleier ei ole installeeritud.

All-time Top10 u18 shotputters
22.79		Marin Premeru CRO
22.44		Mykyta Nesterenko UKR
22.10		Like Wang CHN
22.05		Rosen Karamfilov BUL
21.75		Shihao Zuo CHN
21.55		Ryan Crouser USA
21.45		Feng Liu CHN
21.40		David Storl GER
21.38		Ralf Bartels GER
21.23		Yuriy Bilonoh URS

WHEN JACKO GILL started smashing the back fence at his dad's place, Walter Gill came to two conclusions: that it was time to move house and that his son was developing into a world-class shot putter.

Five years earlier, when Jacko was barely 10, Walter had mixed and poured the concrete for a throwing pad on his back lawn, with 15 metres' clear ground to the fence.

"I never thought he'd reach it – not that quick anyway," he said.

"But within a couple of years, every night, he would slam it into the fence, higher and higher. He broke about 14 palings by the time I realised we would have to move house."

Throwing is in the Gill family genes. Walter is a former discus and national shot put champion himself. Walter's wife Nerida also won a national discus title.

So it didn't come as a great surprise that Jacko, who turns 15 today, is now being touted as one of the most promising talents in New Zealand athletics since Valerie Vili.

He is obliterating throwing records every time he competes.

Last week, at the national secondary schools athletic champs in Timaru, he won the junior boys' division put by a whopping 6m. That's the equivalent of lapping the field in the 1500m.

His winning throw exceeded 20m, smashing Courtney Ireland's record that had stood for nearly 20 years.

Junior boys throw a 5kg shot (the open men 7.26kg). The difference may not seem much, but some promising juniors never make the adjustment.

The extra weight proves too much, their power in the circle is found wanting.

However, Jacko, who incredibly weighs only 84kg and is about 6ft tall, can (unofficially) heft the senior men's shot put in excess of 16m. That's as far as the best in the country.

We say unofficially because he has never been tested in competition, only in practice, where he's been heaving the 5kg shot at least 21m.

To put his efforts in context, Vili throws a 4kg shot about the same distance.

"I didn't fill out physically until I was 20," says Walter.

"So he has got some growing to do and his potential to get even better is pretty good."

Vili has already taken Gill under her wing.

The pair were introduced at an athletics barbecue and hit it off.

"She's a inspiration," says Jacko. "I could not believe how friendly and down to earth she was.
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"I want to do what she has done – become the world champion."

Before he gets there he has a few goals to tick off on the way, including the under-18 men's world record (22.7m).

He's got three years and a few metres to go, but reckons he can eke out the extra distance.

His record-setting deeds have come at such a rate there's every chance he'll get there.

And there's talk he could do something special at the youth Olympics next year in Singapore.

Athletics New Zealand have put him on a watch-list and he's already qualified for low-level support from the likes of the Millennium Institute.

His school, Takapuna Grammar, has also come on board, helping fund some of his travel, gym fees and clothing.

And before he passed away, weightlifter Graham May used to email every week with his support and encouragement.

Jacko says he throws because he loves the sport.

That's probably the best sign yet that more success beckons.

"He loves competing," says Walter. "He just wants to throw, throw, throw. He's not interested in any other sports, like rugby. In fact, May's main advice was never to play rugby."

So put a ring around the name Jacko Gill. We have not heard the last of it.

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