Kiwi shot putter Tom Walsh says there will only be one thing on his mind when he heads to Tokyo for the Olympics - winning gold.
The 28-year-old has strung together back-to-back Diamond League victories in recent weeks, but he told 1 NEWS there was still plenty of room left in the tank as the countdown for Tokyo draws near.
Walsh has just arrived in the United States to regroup with coach Dale Stephenson and training partner Dame Valerie Adams.
His best effort in his recent victories has been 22 metres, but he believes he can do a lot better.
"The big thing for me over the next five weeks is to actually be kind to myself about training, about some of the reflections and stuff... no one is going to be harder on myself than me and sometimes that's great but sometimes it's also my biggest enemy," Walsh told 1 NEWS.
It is that mindset that has helped him succeed in recent times, given until today he had been travelling solo and coached remotely.
"It's challenging but it's still something I enjoy, it gets me out of the bed in the morning still and of course there was concern that wasn't the case because I hadn't been out in a while. But it's nice to know that is not the case and I'm capable of throwing far, I just haven't been able to sort my stuff out and get it in a comp yet."
Walsh won bronze in Rio five years ago, but he has his sights on something greater, and golder, this time around.
"It's one piece of jewellery I'm missing," he told 1 NEWS.
"I'm not going to get second and I've shown in the past three to four years I'm the top, or one of the top guys to stake my claim and go forward and have a chance of winning."
The prospect of a name plastered across the chest of a gold medallist surely enticing for a potential sponsor, one that Walsh is still searching for.
"This is my own shirt as you can see but there's plenty of space for rent. I'm definitely for sale and for rent still so anyone out there who wants some, give me a call," Walsh laughed.
SHARE ME