Athletics: Maddison-Lee Wesche joins Kiwi shot put legends with world title

Move over, Dame Valerie Adams and Tom Walsh.

New Zealand has another world shot put champion, after Maddison-Lee Wesche's victory at the world junior (U20) championships in Tampere, Finland.

The Aucklander produced her winning throw of 17.09m - a personal best by eight centimetres - on her last attempt to snatch the title from China's Linru Zhang and Dutchwoman Jorinde Van Klinken, who both three 17.05m.

Wesche,19, was ranked fifth entering the competition and sat third with 16.47m as she entered the circle for her final round.

Her performance left her rivals one last attempt each to reclaim the lead - Van Klinken managed only 15.36m and Zhang fouled.

"My heart's still beating," Wesche said afterwards. "I'm pretty speechless and it's all surreal at the moment.

"I was hoping. It wasn't something I was expecting, but definitely on the cards.

"This means everything. I've been working two years for this and it's falling into place right now."

Wesche's gold medal extends an impressive run of international success for New Zealand in the shot put.

Of course, Adams stands supreme with her two Olympic golds, three Commonwealth Games golds and eight world titles (outdoor and indoor). She also won this world junior title in 2002.

Walsh has emerged as one of the world's best male exponents - he's the reigning world outdoor and indoor champion, and a Commonwealth Games gold medallist on the Gold Coast in April.

Another name on that role of honour is Jacko Gill, whose father Walter coaches Wesche. Gill Jnr won two world junior titles in 2010 and 2012.

And now Maddison-Lee Wesche. 

Newshub.