Didier Poppe on Jacko Gill's latest shot put performance

Didier Poppe, coach of Jacko Gill, said that Gill always exceeds what is expected of him each time he competes.

Last week’s performance of 18.57m with the senior shot of 7.26kg was no exception.
“With Jacko we’re always surprised and it is always a good surprise,” said Poppe while attending the launch for ‘Throw for Gold’ programme last Thursday.

“Honestly we were expecting from training something around 18 metres and that was basically the goal, but with Jacko he always does more – and 18.57m and that’s absolutely enormous,” said Poppe.

Les Mills New Zealand senior record of 19.51m (resident) and 19.80m (national) is something Poppe said is eventually achievable by Gill.

“That would be something, agreed that would be a good symbol because Les Mills is such a figure in New Zealand athletics as a thrower and a career he has done.

“To see a young fellow coming under track of Les Mills and breaking the New Zealand record would be really a great thing for both of them and I would like to have the picture of the two together on this day,” he said.

Poppe said that Gill is in a building period at the moment leading up to the New Zealand secondary schools championships in Hastings in December.

“He will be looking to get more out of the 5kg shot, if he could eventually also go for the world record at that stage because he has still not digested the defeat in front of the Polish guy in Singapore and he wants to get his revenge,” said Poppe.

Gill set a New Zealand M17 and M16 record of 22.60m at the IOC World Youth Games in August in Singapore for the silver medal. Krzysztof Brzozowski of Poland won with a PB and world’s best of 23.23m.