Tom Walsh held back tears as he was named one of New Zealand’s flagbearers alongside Joelle King at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
The 2018 shot put gold medallist was overcome with emotion, saying that the honour didn’t sink in until he was up on stage at the announcement ceremony.
“I was a little bit shocked to be honest with you. It’s not why we do it but it’s a huge honour to get asked to hold the flag and fly it for New Zealand and be up front with Joelle. It’s going to be awesome.
"That [emotion] shows you how much it means to me being a proud Kiwi and getting asked to do this privilege that not many people get asked to do,” Walsh said.
Kiwi athletes marked the special moment by performing a haka for the accomplished duo.
“It’s an overwhelming and emotional experience. To have all our teammates from a wide range of sports that we don’t even know half of them get up there and do the haka, it was probably one of the highlights of my career. It’s something I’ll probably never feel again,” King said.
The pair will take centre stage at the games' opening ceremony in Birmingham. (Source: 1News)
After placing fourth at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon, Walsh will look to put out a stronger performance in England.
“As top-level athletes we always want to win and I’m definitely not coming here to get second,” Walsh said.
King says her experience being at her fourth games and having won three squash golds already takes a bit of the weight off her shoulders.
“I think winning last time takes a little bit of pressure off. Of course, I have expectations of myself, and I want to do it again. But I think the other competitors are going to be much more desperate to try and do something they’ve not done before.”
The pair will take centre stage in the opening ceremony tomorrow morning.
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