A heave of shot putters loom as contenders when Tom Walsh's world championship crown goes up for grabs again on October 5 in Doha

Walsh's longest throw this year is 22.27 metres, which ranks fifth in the world.

Six of the New Zealander's rivals have thrown over 22 metres, and four of those have been personal bests.

Walsh says that hasn't stopped the camaraderie among the fraternity, even with a number of new throwers joining.



Walsh's next phase of competition begins with the Diamond League meet in Paris on Sunday morning.