Launceston shot putter Todd Hodgetts said he was disappointed not to be able to extend his impressive medal record at major paralympic championships.
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With a five-medal strike rate at majors over the past six years, including the 2012 London Paralympic Games gold, the Launceston-born former Newstead athlete was hoping for more of the same at the ninth World Para-Athletics Championships in Dubai.
But in the men's F20 shot put (F20) final, the 2015 Doha world champion could manage only ninth with a 14.88m throw - below his season's best 14.53m.
I'm okay and I'm feeling great physically. I'm just disappointed.
- Todd Hodgetts
"I couldn't quite get a good grip on the shot put," said Melbourne-based Hodgetts.
"I'm okay and I'm feeling great physically. I'm just disappointed.
"But this stuff can happen so I'll go home and re-set. It's all good."
Athletics Australia Paralympic program manager Jon Turnbull said Hodgetts was a pivotal member of the Aussie team with a lengthy list of credentials.
"He's won a medal at each of the major champs for quite a few years now," he said.
Hodgetts took gold at the 2012 London Paralympics, gold at the 2015 world titles in Doha, bronze in 2016 at the Rio Paralympics and then bronze again at the last world championships in 2017 for his intellectual disability class.
"Todd, aka the Hulk as he's known, is a gentle giant. But probably not when he gets out onto the shot put arena," Turnbull said.
"He's very competitive and there's nothing 'gentle' about Todd when it comes to representing his country."
Mottram move
Organisers of next year's Break O'Day Community Triathlon have announced that an Australian athletics great will be taking part.
Chairman Barry Le Fevre said four-time Olympian and multiple Australian middle distance champion Craig Mottram will compete on February 9 next year.
Le Fevre said on Triathlon Tasmania's Facebook page that Mottram's participation was lined up by sports company owner Luke Faulkner who had been a teaching companion at St Marys District School in the 1990s.
"Luke rang me about our Break O'Day Community Triathlon saying he had heard good things about the event and asked if he could help out as he had received tremendous support with his sporting endeavours at school and wanted to give something back," he said.
"Obviously, this was accepted gratefully and when Luke mentioned he could entice a celebrity guest to the Triathlon it was game on.
"Craig Mottram is coming to our triathlon. He is a four time Olympian and arguably Australia's greatest ever middle/long distance runner."
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