Zane Weir
Weir in 2022
Personal information
National teamItaly (2021- ): 4 caps 4
Born (1995-09-07) 7 September 1995 (age 28)
Amanzimtoti, South Africa[1]
Sport
SportAthletics
EventShot put
Club
Coached byPaolo Dal Soglio[3]
Achievements and titles
Personal bests
  • Shot put outdoor: 22.44 m (2023)
  • Shot put indoor: 22.06 m (2023) NR
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Italy
European Indoor Championships
Gold medal – first place 2023 Istanbul Shot put
European Games
Gold medal – first place 2023 Kraków-Małopolska Shot put
European Throwing Cup
Gold medal – first place 2022 Leiria Shot put
Bronze medal – third place 2023 Leiria Shot put

Zane Weir (born 7 September 1995) is an Italian of South African descent shot putter. He has represented Italy since February 2020,[4] and competed for them at the 2020 Summer Olympics.[5] He won gold at the 2023 European Athletics Indoor Championships.

Biography

Early and personal life

Weir was born and raised in Amanzimtoti, South Africa. He studied at Westville Boys' High School and the University of Cape Town. A South African with Italian heritage, Weir said it was his having listened to his grandfather Mario's sporting tales of his time in Italy,[3] that made him decide to represent Italy after completing his degree in finance and accounting. His grandfather had been a keen sportsman.[6]

Career

2021

He produced a personal best of 21.11 m in February 2021 – 1 cm over the qualifying mark to book his spot for the trip to Japan and the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics.[7][1]

In May 2021, at the Diamond League Meeting in Doha he finished 5th.[8]

In the delayed 2020 Olympic Games held in Tokyo in 2021, he placed 5th overall in the Qualification round on August 3, 2021, after finishing 3rd in group B with a personal best toss of 21.25. Two days later, he placed again 5th in the Olympic final, with a new PB of 21.41.

He produced another new personal best on September 5, 2021, at the Meeting Città di Padova in Italy with a mark of 21.63 m,[9] improving his personal best from Tokyo 2020 by 22 centimeters,[10] improved again in Caorle on 19 September, to bring it to 21.66 m.

He improved his personal record on March 13, 2022 at the 2022 European Throwing Cup, in Leiria with a mark of 21.99 m, winning the competition.

2023: European Indoor champion

Weir broke the Italian indoor national record on the way to throwing 22.06 and winning gold at the 2023 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Istanbul, on March 3, 2023.[11]

He was selected for the shot put competition at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, where he qualified for the final.[12]

He improved his personal record on September 3, 2023 at the Meeting Città di Padova with a mark of 22.44 m.[13]

2024

In February 2024, he won the Italian indoor national title with a throw of 21.69m.[14]

Achievements

Year Competition Venue Position Event Measure Notes
2021 Olympic Games Japan Tokyo 5th Shot put 21.41 m PB
2022 World Indoor Championships Serbia Belgrade 6th Shot put 21.67 m
European Throwing Cup Portugal Leiria 1st Shot put 21.99 m CR PB
2023 European Indoor Championships Turkey Istanbul 1st Shot put 22.06 m NR EL
European Throwing Cup Portugal Leiria 3rd Shot put 20.98 m

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Incredibile Zane Weir: 21,11 nel getto del peso in Sudafrica" (in Italian). sprintnews.it. 16 February 2021. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  2. ^ "Zane Weir - Biografia". fidal.it (in Italian). Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Zane Weir può indossare la maglia azzurra". fidal.it (in Italian). 25 February 2021. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  4. ^ "Zane WEIR | Profile". worldathletics.org.
  5. ^ "Athletics WEIR Zane". Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 5 August 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  6. ^ "Shot-put star Zane Weir aims to go full circle in Italy". www.iol.co.za.
  7. ^ "Atletica, Zane Weir può rappresentare l'Italia! Via libera per il gettatore del peso da 21.11". Eurosport. 25 February 2021.
  8. ^ Kundu, Abhishek (29 May 2021). "Doha Diamond League 2021 results: Winners, scores, and timings". www.sportskeeda.com.
  9. ^ "Shot Put MEN -RESULTS". www.fidal.it. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  10. ^ "Tokyo 2020 Athlete Profile Zane Weir Results". olympics.com. 5 August 2021. Archived from the original on 5 August 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  11. ^ "2023 European Athletics Indoor Championships: Nafissatou Thiam shatters pentathlon world record on day two in Istanbul". Olympics.com. 3 March 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  12. ^ "Men's Shot Put Results: World Athletics Championships 2023". Watch Athletics. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  13. ^ "Weir blasts a lifetime best of 22.44m for victory in Padua". European Athletics. 4 September 2023. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  14. ^ "Bol breaks world indoor 400m record with 49.24 in Apeldoorn". World Athletics. 18 February 2024. Retrieved 19 February 2024.

External links

European Athletics Indoor Champions in men's shot put
2020 Italy Olympic Athletics Team
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