LAUNCESTON shot-putter Todd Hodgetts was named Australian para-athlete of the year on Sunday – a day he also won a silver medal at the Australian Athletics Championships.
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Known as “The Hulk”, the 28-year-old has had a sterling 12 months and was duly rewarded at a ceremony in Sydney.
“I’m blown away by this honour, to be recognised in this way is very humbling and much appreciated,” the Melbourne-based Hodgetts said.
“It shows that my hard work pays off.
“It came as a massive shock.”
Beforehand, the 2012 London Paralympic gold medalist threw 15.92 metres in the men’s open shot put event, finishing second to Western Australian Matt Cowie’s 16.98m hurl.
I’m blown away by this honour, to be recognised in this way is very humbling and much appreciated
- Todd Hodgetts
The result has all but guaranteed Hodgetts the chance to defend his Paralympic title in Rio come August.
Athletics Australia set him a 15.45 metre benchmark to achieve at the championships and he did, making it his third 2016 Paralympic Games qualifier.
“Although I am not yet in the Australian team I really look forward to going to defend my title in Rio,” he said.
The Newstead Harriers’ product broke his own F20 shot-put world record by nine centimetres at Hobart’s Briggs Athletics Classic in February with a 16.33 metre throw.
Hodgetts also won his maiden F20 world title at the IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha last year with a competition 15.83m record.
Hodgetts is a Victorian Institute of Sport scholarship holder and mentored by successful throws coach Gus Puoplo.
On another note, fellow Tasmanian Hamish Peacock fell 16-centimetres short of an Olympic javelin qualifier, winning gold with a 82.84m throw.
Stewart McSweyn also notched up a Tasmanian record in claiming a 3000m steeplechase silver in 8:49.24, following on from Jack Hale’s 100m second place finish.
