NEW ZEALAND'S ROAD TO RIO - WEEKLY ROUNDUP 7 SEP - 14 SEP

Walsh puts world champ aside

Shot putter Tom Walsh continues to throw from strength to strength on the world shot put stage - his victory at the Diamond League meet in Brussels this weekend marking his fourth straight win in Europe and boosting his confidence of winning a medal at next years Rio Olympics.  

With a winning throw of 21.39m, the Christchurch builder beat Jamaican O'Dayne Richards by 2cm, with American world champion Joe Kovacs in third. It was Walshs first Diamond League gold. Earlier in the week, he broke his New Zealand and Oceania records with a distance of 21.62m in winning the IAAF World Challenge in Croatia.

Ko keeps hitting new highs

Is there anything Kiwi teenage golfing sensation Lydia Ko cant achieve?  Her victory this morning at the Evian Championship in France marked her first major championship title, and made her the youngest player in LPGA Tour history to win a major.

Ko who is 18 years, 4 months and 20 days old played out her final round on the shores of Lake Geneva in style; no bogeys, eight birdies and an 8-under 63, the best score of the tournament this year.  She romped to a six-stroke victory over American Lexi Thompson.

Schmidt bounds into good company

Youth Olympic gold medallist Dylan Schmidt has leaped closer to the apex of the trampoline world, finishing fifth in the Spanish World Cup. 

The 18-year-old Auckland student, who has his sights fixed on becoming the first New Zealand to compete in Olympic trampolining, pulled out an excellent final round routine at the World Cup event in Valladolid, which boasted a record 86 athletes in the mens individual competition.

Walker on the comeback trail

Olympic medallist Sarah Walker has been reassured she has the speed and the fitness in her comeback to international BMX racing, with a solid sixth at the World Cup supercross event in Argentina.

Missing much of the last two years through injury, the 2012 Olympic silver medallist made her first World Cup final for 18 months, and believes more work on her start gate technique will have her back on the podium soon.

The Cambridge rider was well motivated, after watching the Kiwi rowers success at the world championships and her brother Matt Walker riding strongly at the mountain bike world championships downhill final.

It was great to follow them and it was really motivating for me going into my racing, Walker said.

Best Boxer honour for Nyika

Hamilton heavyweight boxing star David Nyika has had double cause for celebration in Poland - winning his division final at the Feliks Stamm Memorial Tournament in Warsaw, and awarded Best Boxer of the competition.

Twenty-year-old Nyika, whose win against the best Polish boxing talent followed on from his Oceania Continental championship victory, is now heading home to work towards the world championships in Doha next month.

Third time for Fifth Ave first

For the third time, Nick Willis has stormed the field to win the famous Fifth Avenue Mile in New York City.  The US-based Kiwi, who previously won in 2008 and 2013, made his winning tactical move in final quarter-mile to beat Chris OHare of Great Britain by one second.

After his personal disappointment of finishing sixth in the world championship 1500m, Willis was happy to end his competitive season with a win before heading back into training.

Medals in Apia 

A team of 27 young athletes won a total of 20 medals at the Commonwealth Youth Games and are on their way in the complex world of multi-sport events as the event wound down on Saturday. 

A traditional closing ceremony wrapped up the five days of competition as New Zealand athletes celebrated 20 medals, inlcluding an outstanding ten from the young swimming team. The team also had a powerful insight into the benefit of sport and the power it has to inspire others. 

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