Adam Nelson celebrates winning the men's Shot Put gold medal with the Helsinki fans (© Getty Images)
Despite a massive first round 21.73m effort which took a throttle-like-hold on tonight’s Shot Put Final at the 10th IAAF World Championships in Athletics, as Adam Nelson paced around the borders of the competition area in between each of his five further attempts, all in the audience of 32,000 spectators who possessed even a cursory knowledge of the 30 year-old American’s silver tinted career, could perceive his understandable nervousness.
Four-times Nelson had entered a global competition with high hopes, only to see his best marks eclipsed by the even greater performances of at least one of his opponents.
At the 2000 Olympics, his series of silver medals had begun when Finland’s Arsi Harju surprised with the gold, and similar ill fortune followed in the 2001 World indoors and 2003 World outdoor Championships. Then most cruelly at the Olympics last summer Nelson had to settle for the runners-up spot again when his 21.16m lead was matched in the last round by Ukraine’s Yuriy Belonog, who won the Olympic laurels by virtue of a better second best put.
Gratitude from a ‘home town’ hero
Tonight, in front of the knowledgeable Finnish crowd who had packed into the stadium at the top of the 100m straight to support their two national representatives in the final, Nelson also found an encouraging well of support. In progressively damp and cold conditions in the 1952 Olympic stadium, the audience played up to the American’s wild motivational shouts and screams which he bellowed before every put.
The crowd’s wild encouragement helped to suppress Nelson’s natural worries that gold might again be snatched from his grasp, a motivation which he paid tribute to –
“I have to pay tribute to the Finnish people for supporting me, not just tonight but ever since 2000 when Arsi (Harju) beat me in Sydney,” said a tearfully happy gold medallist. “They have treated me as a ‘home town’ hero every time I have competed in Finland. In preparation for these championships I have spent three weeks in a training camp at the Finnish Sports Institute (IAAF Accredited Training Centre) in Kuortane and then had a final competition in Lapua, and these we some of the best experiences I have ever had.”
“Basically my career has now gone full-circle, from the moment of being beaten by a Finn five years ago, to my victory in Finland tonight.”
Best ever shape
“Was I sure that I had done enough for gold? To be honest, no I wasn’t sure. Christian Cantwell, Rutger Smith, (Andrei) Mikhnevich, they have and can all throw so much more, and so have many of the others. I was just trying to hold in there and keep hold of my emotions.”
“What gave me confidence was that I knew I came here in the best shape I had ever been in, and I am very pleased how it happened but I had a lot more in the tank. I am going to enjoy the moment and worry about what comes next, next week.”
Financial reward
One thing on Nelson’s mind will be, quite rightly, how he can now start to accrue the large financial rewards which his illustrious career so richly deserves. He began tonight with the $60,000 winning prize from the IAAF for first place but earlier this year without a major sponsor Nelson had had to resort to selling himself on E-Bay! While the final $12,000 winning bid was welcome, it would be an insult to his supreme athletic talent if Nelson was ever forced to debase himself in such a manner again.
“Only time will tell if this win will gain me bigger sponsors….Should E-Bay hire me? Hey, if they are looking for a shot putter I’m their man.”
“I have short term memory loss,” Nelson joked about his previous championship disappointments. “I always manage to forget and re-focus. I am always looking to go forward.” With his shots now propelling so far into the distance it is unlikely he will ever have to contemplate anything in the future except gold around his neck and a similar coloured lining in his wallet.
Chris Turner for the IAAF
