Hawke's Bay shotputter Nick Palmer is throwing better than ever before as he builds up to the biggest event of his young career.
“We’re putting up some easy distance at the moment. We’re not trying to push it too hard but we’re getting some big numbers out so we’re pretty happy.”
It’s hard not to draw comparisons between the 17 year old Karamu High School student and Olympic bronze medallist Tom Walsh. The pair share a coach in Dale Stevenson and have trained together in Christchurch.
“It’s special to be able to train with an Olympic medallist, it just pushes you a little bit harder and it’s good to have him on tap to ask questions and give you a different view on things. He’s definitely a good person to have around.”
Palmer has been coached by Stevenson for just over a year with the relationship helping him to hot form. He’s number one on the national under 18 rankings and finished third against an international field at the Christchurch Big Shot event with a throw of 17.91 metres.
“He’s taking me to the next level, I’ve seen massive improvements and I know exactly where I’m heading rather than just stumbling my way along.”
Dale’s the sort of person who can change a few things and you just improve miles, he’s a smart dude and he can see things you can’t see yourself so it’s really good to train with him.”
Palmer’s putting in the hard yards ahead of the Commonwealth Youth Games, training six days a week, often twice a day, while still maintaining his studies. He’s optimistic about his chances when he comes up against some of the best young throwers in the world.
“The distances are coming up pretty fast so we’ve got some pretty high hope for Bahamas. We’re not shy of looking at the top, we just hope I get a good throw out there.”
Nick Palmer will compete as part of the New Zealand Team at Commonwealth Youth Games held in the Bahamas from July 18th – 23rd.
About the Bahamas Commonwealth Youth Games:
A team of 34 talented young Kiwi athletes will represent New Zealand at the Games, taking on their Commonwealth counterparts between 18 – 23 July 2017. The team will be made up of eleven swimmers, eleven athletics representatives, three cyclists, five boxers and four beach volleyball players. The last Commonwealth Youth Games were held in Samoa in 2015 where New Zealand won 20 medals, made up of seven gold, eight silver and five bronze.
Up to 1300 athletes from around the world will be involved in the Games and will make the most of an inspiring and immersive mix of impactful sporting competition.
The Commonwealth Youth Games are a significant step in the performance pathway, providing young athletes with invaluable experience in a multi-sport environment and preparing them for future Commonwealth and Olympic Competition.