A month ago Ryan Ballantyne admits things weren't quite clicking with a shot put in hand.
He was doing well, but his rhythm was hard to come by.
After spending time training with New Zealand No 1 Tom Walsh things have changed and Ballantyne now has the fifth best throw in the world for his age grade this year.
Not a bad transformation in a matter of weeks.
"It’s only the past two weeks that I've really thought I might be able to make something of this," Ballantyne, 16, said.
"I've been feeling good in training, but doing it in competition is another thing. It’s all been clicking these past few weeks."
Ballantyne threw the 5kg shot 19.08m at Tuesday’s Waikato regional event, qualifying him for the World Youth Games in July.
The qualifying mark of 18.6m was hit by Ballantyne on his first attempt, giving him the confidence to give it his all on the next throws.
That’s when the magic happened.
"I'm really happy with a 19.08m throw," he said.
"It’s been a bit of a surprise how much better I've been getting. I've only really been serious about shot put since year 11."
Last year Ballantyne made the decision to give rugby away, noting that he probably wouldn't make it in the sport.
His focus turned to launching the shot put as far as he could.
Ballantyne doesn't have a massive shot putters build, but his 1.88m, 94kg frame is enough to powerfully propel the shot with a spinning technique.
He said the training with Walsh in Christchurch last month gave him an insight into what is required to reach the top.
"Since going down there I've been improving heaps, so that was a big help for me. It would be amazing to get to that level one day, but it’s still really early for me."
The World Youth Games are in Colombia this year, and Ballantyne said he is realistically aiming for a top-12 finish.
He said despite having the fifth best throw this year, others may not have thrown yet, so he isn't getting his medal hopes up.
By the time the games begin Ballantyne hopes to have added another half metre to his throw, at least.
"A 19.5m, or even a 20m would be good. A 20m throw would be amazing actually. I'd be stoked to do that by July."
While Ballantyne’s effort is a Waikato record, New Zealand’s Jacko Gill still holds the world record with an incredible 24.35m effort.
"He’s a bit of a beast. I'm not in that league just yet. He broke the old record by about a metre, I think. It was massive."
Ballantyne heads to the national club champs in Wellington this weekend, hoping to claim the national junior title. His attention will also be on the open men’s shot put, where Walsh and Gill are set to go head-to-head.
One day it could be Ballantyne competing on the big stage.
