Olympian Tom Walsh's long road to recovery

After the longest injury layoff of his career, Tom Walsh wants his national shot put title back and to move on from his Paris Olympics exit.

Walsh, who claimed bronze medals at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2021, limped out of the Olympic shot put final at the Stade de France in August after injuring his groin on his second throw.

The rehabilitation process was slow.

Three months later, Walsh said he was at about "80 percent" of full fitness.

"I can do all of my lifting in the gym but when it comes to throwing I still haven't been able to do a full throw off the back of the circle but I got the shot put in my hand last week for the first time which was a nice feeling to have.

"Probably in the next three or four weeks I'll move to the back of the circle and start full throws again."

Walsh said he was fortunate during his career that he had previously only ever had stints of a couple weeks where he had to reduce his training load, so months on the sidelines had been challenging.

The injury setback had come at a tough time professionally, but at the near perfect time in his personal life.

"This is the first time I have been in New Zealand for more than three months at a time so it's given me a long stint back here which has been nice.

"Got some jobs done that my wife had down on that list for a long time, and a wee baby girl coming along [in October] as well so it has given me some time to get used to the new life that is."

Once Walsh's rehab allowed him to move from his current four days of training back to six days a week, he said the athlete-fatherhood juggle would kick in.

"It's going to be a little bit more interesting how we navigate that and how I can be a good dad but also a good athlete."

For advice on how to achieve the balance, he had turned to some of the country's top cricketers.

Walsh had bent the ear of his "good mate" and former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming about it. He had also spoken with some of the Christchurch-based Black Caps who went to his gym.

Shot put has taken Walsh around the world, but he has targeted the domestic summer for his return to competition.

He can compete in up to four of the Summer Circuit events - which span from Auckland to Dunedin between January and March - depending on scheduling.

"The goal is to get ready for taking my national title back off Jacko [Gill] and then going to world indoors and winning that one."

Even with so long out of throwing, Walsh said it was realistic to be back getting medals in the coming months.

"I've been around a long time and I've got a lot of experience in this stuff and there's no reason why by mid-February I can't be in 22-metre shape and by March I can't be in 22.50 shape and go on from there for world indoors."

This summer is the start of a plan that ends up with Walsh back at the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.

"A lot of people in athletics do four-year cycles so they generally decide whether they're going to go to the next ones or not, and if they don't they generally stop. There's not that many people that stop in between so we're all the way through but every year we've got world indoors or we've got world outdoors or Commonwealth Games so there is something to work towards every year.

"These first few comps of the year we will learn a lot of stuff but also I'm really excited about going forward how the summer season can benefit me more and more."

The World Indoor Championships, to be held in China in late March, is an event at which Walsh has medalled every time he has attended.

Walsh won his fifth indoor medal this year in Glasgow, finishing second to American Ryan Crouser.

His five medals make him the most decorated men's indoor shot putter ever.

However, Crouser went on to win a third straight Olympic gold medal in Paris, while Walsh had to watch on in pain.

The American is at the top of the world rankings while Walsh is seventh in the world - just one place ahead of Gill.

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