Tokyo Olympics: Kiwi shot putter Tom Walsh nears best at Budapest with Games looming

Kiwi shot putter Tom Walsh has continued his unbeaten build-up towards the Tokyo Olympics, winning his fifth consecutive competition with his best throw of the campaign.

The Rio 2016 bronze medallist threw 22.22m to finish almost half a metre clear of nearest his rival, Croatian Filip Mihaljevic, at the Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest.

Walsh, 29, has now strung together five consecutive victories in his Olympic build-up, with his previous best of 22.00m achieved at Nashville, Tennessee last month.

His latest performance has elevated the former world champion to fourth in world rankings this year, behind Americans Ryan Crouser, Joe Kovacs and Darrell Hill.

Last month, Crouser broke the 31-year-old world record with a toss of 23.37m at the US Olympic trials, while Kovacs pipped both Crouser and Walsh by a centimetre at the 2019 world championships at Doha.

Walsh's personal best stands at 22.90m, which he achieved claiming the bronze medal at that championship.

The Olympic men's shot put qualifying is scheduled for August 3, with the final two days later.