-
Jacko Gill speaks to the media - Source: Photosport -
Watch Video
-
Related
A day after smashing another shot-put world record, teenage sensation Jacko Gill will be celebrating his birthday with a well deserved sleep in.
Gill, who turned 17 today and qualified for the London Olympics ealier this month, threw a 5 kg shot put 24.45m last night, 10 cm better than the under 18 record he set at the World Youth Champs in France in July.
Earlier Gill had thrown the senior 7.26kg implement out to 20.07 metres, his second best ever and 31 centimetres short of his New Zealand record, set two weeks ago.
But the disappointment of not matching his Olympic qualifying throw on Auckland's North Shore was what fuelled the fire for his under 18 world record.
"Obviously I was still angry from the 7kg, I usually get a lot worse over the competitions, but this time I got better, so I was really happy and a good comeback," Gill told ONE News.
Gill's father, Walter, revealed that his son was a night owl and combined social networking with an appetite for late night training.
"He lifts weights at night, the house shakes... Mum used to tell him off 'cos he would hop up our stairs taking about four steps at a time and it's a hell of a noise and the stairs end right at our bed, "his father said.
With only seven months to go until London Olympics, Jacko's Christmas Holidays will be spent doing more training with a particular emphasis on increasing his core strength.
But today he is going to do what many of his peers do and sleep.
"He's probably going to sleep until about 3 o'clock and when he wakes up, he'll expect the usual which is a cake... and he still loves, at his age, blowing out the candles... he'll have one piece of it and I'll get the rest probably" Walter said.
