WITH renewed passion, dedication and discipline, Fil-American Willie Morrison is slowly emerging anew as a force to reckon with in the men’s shot put event in Asia, based on his remarkable progress in his last three meets.
At the Asian Throwing Championships in Mokpo, South Korea last June 14, Morrison hurled a season best of 19.22 meters on his fourth try to bag the bronze medal behind Iranian gold medalist Mehdi Saberi (19.27) and Chinese silver medalist Zizhong Tian (19.26).
The strapping 6-foot-2 thrower, who won back-to-back gold medals in the 2019 Philippine and 2021 Vietnam Southeast Asian Games, bested by four centimeters his previous local best of 19.18 meters for the silver medal in the Royal City Inferno meet in Guelph, Canada two weeks ago.
It was also better than the 18.77 meters he threw in securing the gold medal in the ICTSI Philippine Athletics Championships last May 9 — an increase of 45 centimeters, equivalent to 17.7165 inches, or slightly over one-and-a-half feet in just 44 days.
Morrison’s present throw would have also easily given him the gold in the 2023 Cambodia SEA Games since it is far superior to the 17.84 meters of Thai gold medalist Jakkapat Nosri in a meet where he finished a woeful sixth place (16.14).
Brimming with confidence anew, the gentle giant disclosed that he is keen on regaining his SEA Games men’s shot put crown in the 33rd edition of the sportsfest in Bangkok, Thailand while emerging as a solid medal contender in the Asian meet in Gumi, South Korea both in 2025.
“Absolutely,” said Morrison of his goals for next year, adding that his next competition is on Friday (Saturday in North America) in the Classique d’athlétisme de Montréal Canada together with hurdler Eric Cray and sprinter Kristina Knott.
Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association secretary general Jasper Tanhueco said yesterday that other Olympic hopefuls like John Cabang Tolentino and Robyn Brown were penciled in for the Meeting Madrid in Madrid, Spain also on Friday.
Lauren Hoffman, who is aspiring to represent the country in Paris in the women’s 400-meter hurdles, is good to go for the Czeslaw Cybulski Memorial at the Golecin Stadion in Poznan, Poland on Sunday (Monday morning in Manila).
