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Dame Valerie Kasanita Adams (formerly Vili; born 6 October 1984) is a retired New Zealand
shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's ...
ter. She is a four-time World champion, four-time World Indoor champion, two-time Olympic, three-time Commonwealth Games champion and twice IAAF Continental Cup winner. She has a personal best throw of 21.24 metres outdoors and 20.98 m indoors. These marks are Oceanian,
Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...
and
New Zealand national The New Zealand National Party ( mi, Rōpū Nāhinara o Aotearoa), shortened to National () or the Nats, is a centre-right political party in New Zealand. It is one of two major parties that dominate contemporary New Zealand politics, alongsid ...
records. She also holds the Oceanian junior record (18.93 m) and the Oceanian youth record (17.54 m), as well as the World Championships record, World Indoor Championships record and
Commonwealth Games record Commonwealth Games records are the best performances in a specific edition of the event's history. As the Commonwealth Games only accepts athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, the records are not considered as prestigious as World records ...
. Adams was the third woman to win world championships at the youth, junior, and senior level of an athletics event, following the feats of Yelena Isinbayeva and Jana Pittman. She was the first woman to win four consecutive individual titles at the IAAF World Championships. Adams had a winning streak that extended to 56 wins at elite-level competitions, which started in August 2010 and ended in July 2015. She was the IAAF World Athlete of the Year in 2014 and the
Track & Field News Athlete of the Year The ''Track & Field News'' Athlete of the Year award is given to track and field athletes by ''Track & Field News'' magazine, an American sports magazine. A panel of international track and field experts organized by the magazine selects the winne ...
in 2012 and 2013. She had the longest shot put performance of the season every year from 2006 to 2014, bar 2008 when she was second to
Natallia Mikhnevich Natallia Mikhnevich ( be, Наталля Міхневіч, née be, Харанэка, Kharaneka; born May 25, 1982 in Nevinnomyssk, Russian SFSR) is a Belarusian shot putter. Career Mikhnevich finished third at the 2000 World Junior Champions ...
(later banned for doping that year). Adams won silver medals at the
2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
(amended to a gold after prior winner Nadzeya Astapchuk was disqualified for doping),
2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...
,
2005 World Championships in Athletics The 10th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), were held in the Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland (6 August 2005 – 14 August 2005), the site of the first IAAF ...
, and the Commonwealth Games in 2002 and 2018. She was also a bronze medallist at the
2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships The 16th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics were held between March 17 and 20, 2016 in Portland, Oregon, United States. The event did not feature Russia. Following a WADA investigation into widespread and institutional doping practices ...
. While still a teenager, Adams was a finalist at the
2003 World Championships in Athletics The 9th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held from 23 August to 31 August 2003 in the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, France. Men's results ...
and the
2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...
. At national level, she has won fifteen shot put titles at the New Zealand Athletics Championships between 2001 and 2018, as well as having a hammer throw national title in 2003. Adams also won four times at the Australian Athletics Championships between 2004 and 2008. From 2006 to 2012 she was chosen as the
New Zealand Sportswoman of the Year The Halberg Awards are a set of awards, given annually since 1949, recognising New Zealand's top sporting achievements. They are named for New Zealand former middle-distance runner and Olympic gold medalist Murray Halberg, Sir Murray Halberg. The ...
seven times consecutively and has been awarded the Lonsdale Cup on five occasions in recognition as the leading national athlete in an Olympic sport. Adams retired from athletics competition in 2022. In that year she was appointed to the board of High Performance Sport New Zealand, and was the subject of the documentary '' Dame Valerie Adams: More than Gold''.


Career


Early career

In 1998 Adams met former javelin thrower Kirsten Hellier, who would become her coach for the next 11 years. Adams first came to prominence when winning the World Youth Championships in 2001, with a throw of 16.87 m. She followed this up in 2002 by becoming World Junior champion, throwing 17.73 m, and gained her first international senior placing with the silver medal at the Commonwealth Games, throwing 17.45 m. She finished fifth at the 2003 World Championships at eighteen years of age. At her first Olympics in 2004, Adams finished seventh (after two athletes' subsequent disqualification), while still recovering from an
appendectomy An appendectomy, also termed appendicectomy, is a Surgery, surgical operation in which the vermiform appendix (a portion of the intestine) is removed. Appendectomy is normally performed as an urgent or emergency procedure to treat complicated acu ...
she had just weeks before the competition. The following year Adams finished third at the World Championships with a personal best throw of 19.87 m. When the original winner, Nadzeya Astapchuk, was disqualified following a 2013 retest of her drug sample from the competition that was found to be positive, Adams' original bronze medal was upgraded to silver. Adams originally finished second at the World Athletics Final in 2005, but was promoted to gold after Astapchuk's results were annulled. At the
2006 Commonwealth Games The 2006 Commonwealth Games, officially the XVIII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Melbourne 2006 (Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm 2006'' or ''Naarm 2006''), was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth held ...
Adams won the
gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...
, breaking the 20-year-old Commonwealth Games record of 19.00 m with a throw of 19.66 m.


First world and Olympic titles

In 2007, Adams went to the Osaka World Championships as a favourite to take a medal due to her being one of only three women to throw over 20 m before the championships. In qualifying, Adams led the field with a throw of 19.45 m. Adams held second place behind Nadzeya Astapchuk throughout the final, but responded well in the last round with a mammoth throw and Commonwealth record of 20.54 m to take the gold. This made Adams one of few female athletes ever to take IAAF World Titles at youth, junior and senior level. In 2008 Adams broke the Oceania record in winning her first World Indoor Title in Valencia (20.19 m). At the Beijing Olympics, she qualified for the final with the longest distance thrown, 19.73 meters, on her first attempt. She won the gold with a throw of 20.56 m, a personal best, beating
Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...
ian thrower
Natallia Mikhnevich Natallia Mikhnevich ( be, Наталля Міхневіч, née be, Харанэка, Kharaneka; born May 25, 1982 in Nevinnomyssk, Russian SFSR) is a Belarusian shot putter. Career Mikhnevich finished third at the 2000 World Junior Champions ...
. It was the first Olympic gold medal in track and field for New Zealand since John Walker won the 1500 meter race in
1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...
. She also won the New Zealand Sports Award of the year in 2008. At the 2009 Grande Prêmio Rio in Brazil Adams won the competition with a new personal best and Oceanian area record of 20.69 m. The throw was also the world leading distance for the event. In August, Adams won at the
2009 World Championships in Athletics The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics () were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg ...
in Berlin with a throw of 20.44 meters, ahead of the German
Nadine Kleinert , since 1999 married Schmitt (born 20 October 1975 in Magdeburg, Saxony-Anhalt) is a German shot putter. Her personal best throw is 20.20 metres, achieved in August 2009 in Berlin. She competed at four Summer Olympic Games The Summer Olymp ...
and
Gong Lijiao Gong Lijiao (; born 24 January 1989) is a Chinese Olympic shot putter. Career She finished seventh at the 2007 World Championships, her international debut. At the 2008 Summer Olympics she finished fifth but received the bronze medal later ...
of China. At the
2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships The 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics was held between 12 and 14 March at the Aspire Dome in Doha, Qatar. The championships was the first of six IAAF World Athletics Series events to take place in 2010. Bidding and organisation Th ...
Adams was defeated by Nadzeya Astapchuk by a large margin, in spite of the New Zealander setting a continental record of 20.49 m. Adams announced on 28 March 2010 that she would no longer be coached by Kirsten Hellier after an 11-year partnership. In April 2010 she announced her new coach was Didier Poppe. Adams was consistently beaten by Nadzeya Astapchuk in the big meetings that season. She set a meeting record and season's best of 20.37 m at the
Athletics Bridge The Athletics Bridge ( sk, Atletický Most) is an annual track and field meeting which takes place at the Mestský štadión in Dubnica nad Váhom, Slovakia. As one of the European Athletics Outdoor Classic Meetings, it is typically among of the ...
meet in Slovakia, later saying that a change in her technique that April had begun to pay dividends. Later that season she won at the
2010 IAAF Continental Cup The 1st IAAF Continental Cup was an international track and field sporting event held under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations. Originally scheduled as the 11th IAAF World Cup in Athletics, it was renamed in 200 ...
with a season's best mark of 20.85 m and also competed at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, where she set a Games record mark of 20.47 m to retain her title. In late 2010 Jean-Pierre Egger took over as her coach from Poppe.


World and Olympic repeat

Adams won the 2011 World Championships equalling the championship record 21.24 met by
Natalya Lisovskaya Natalya Venediktovna Lisovskaya (russian: Наталья Венедиктовна Лисовская; born 16 July 1962) is a Soviet former athlete who competed mainly in shot put. Lisovskaya trained at Spartak in Moscow. Career Born in Aleg ...
in 1987. At the 2012 World Indoor Championships Adams won the competition with a throw of 20.54 m, a new indoors personal best. Adams originally won the silver medal at the
2012 London Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
but was promoted to the gold medal after the initial Olympic champion, Nadzeya Astapchuk, failed two drug tests, one a day before the event and the second on the day of the event. The Belarusian Ostapchuk tested positive for metenolone which is classified as an anabolic agent on the list of banned substances. Adams later recounted how she initially believed Chef de Mission
Dave Currie David Findlay Currie (born 1945) is a New Zealand sports administrator who has been the Head of mission, chef de mission at many international sports events. In the 2009 New Year Honours (New Zealand), 2009 New Year Honours, Currie was appoin ...
was "telling fibs" upon being told the news. She received the gold medal from the New Zealand Governor-General, Sir Jerry Mateparae, at a special ceremony in Auckland on 19 September 2012.


Fourth world title

Adams won her fourth world championship gold at the 2013 World Championships games in Moscow in August 2013. Her fourth gold medal surpassed
Astrid Kumbernuss Astrid Kumbernuss (; born 5 February 1970 in Grevesmühlen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) is a former German female shot putter and discus thrower. Her career started at the SC Neubrandenburg sports club. Her greatest successes were gold medals at ...
for most all time by a female shotputter and made her the first woman to win four straight titles in an event at the competition. On 27 September, Adams underwent surgery on her left ankle and right knee, and in March 2014 won her third world indoor championship at Sopot in Poland with a distance of 20.67 m. Her gold medal at the
2014 Commonwealth Games The 2014 Commonwealth Games ( gd, Geamannan a' Cho-fhlaitheis 2014), officially known as the XX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Glasgow 2014, ( sco, Glesca 2014 or Glesga 2014; gd, Glaschu 2014), was an international multi-sport ev ...
, where she was New Zealand's flag-bearer, was her 54th consecutive event win; the streak began in August 2010.


Later career

Injury caused Adams to withdraw from an attempted defence of her shot put title at the
2014 IAAF Continental Cup The 2014 IAAF Continental Cup was an international track and field sporting event that was held in Marrakech, Morocco, on 13–14 September 2014. It was the second edition of the IAAF Continental Cup since the name and format was changed from ...
and she was ruled out for most of 2015 season for the same reason. During this period she underwent surgeries on her shoulder and elbow in late 2014 and returned for a further operational on her knee in August 2015. Adams finished second in
shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's ...
at the
2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...
with a distance of 20.42 m. She was beaten by Michelle Carter who had a personal best of 20.63 m with her last put of the competition. In the
2017 New Year Honours The 2017 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours were awarded as part of the New Year celebrati ...
, Adams was named a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. She skipped the entire track and field that season due to pregnancy. Adams came in second in the
shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's ...
at the
2018 Commonwealth Games The 2018 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXI Commonwealth Games and also known as Gold Coast 2018, was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth that were held on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, bet ...
on the Gold Coast, Australia, with a seasonal best put of 18.70 m. Adams won her fourth Olympic medal in July 2021, at the
2020 Tokyo Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the 1 ...
, winning a bronze medal with a best put of . Adams announced her retirement from athletics competition on 1 March 2022, but will continue to coach
Lisa Adams Lisa Adams (born 1955) is an American painter who emerged in the mid 1980s. She is best known for her oil paintings of imaginary worlds that address both personal and collective realities. Her work has been exhibited nationally and international ...
. In October 2022, the documentary film '' Dame Valerie Adams: More than Gold'' was released in New Zealand cinemas, depicting Adams' childhood, sporting career and the lead-up to the 2020 Summer Olympics.


Sports administration

In 2022 Adams was appointed to the board of High Performance Sport New Zealand.


Personal life

Adams was born in
Rotorua Rotorua () is a city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. The city lies on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua, from which it takes its name. It is the seat of the Rotorua Lakes District, a territorial authority encompass ...
, New Zealand, to a Tongan mother (Lilika Ngauamo) and an English father (Sydney Adams). Her father, who settled in New Zealand after service in the Royal Navy, had a total of 18 children with five women. Adams' youngest sibling is
NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
player
Steven Adams Steven Funaki Adams (born 20 July 1993) is a New Zealand professional basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After playing one season with his hometown team, the Wellington Saints, in 2011, Ada ...
, and two other brothers played
professional basketball in New Zealand The National Basketball League (NBL) is a men's semi-professional basketball league in New Zealand. In 1981, a group of club and provincial teams came together to create a men's national basketball league. The following year, the league was ...
. Their sister,
Lisa Adams Lisa Adams (born 1955) is an American painter who emerged in the mid 1980s. She is best known for her oil paintings of imaginary worlds that address both personal and collective realities. Her work has been exhibited nationally and international ...
, is a paralympic champion shot-putter and discus thrower who has cerebral palsy. Adams was married to
Bertrand Vili Bertrand Vili (born 6 September 1983) is a French former track and field athlete who competed in the discus throw. He represented France at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics and was a silver medallist at the 2005 Jeux de la Francophonie. H ...
, a discus thrower from
New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...
. They married in 2004 and divorced in early 2010. Adams married Gabriel Price, a friend since childhood, at
Temple View Temple View is a suburb of the city of Hamilton, New Zealand. Temple View was established in the 1950s out of the construction of the Hamilton New Zealand Temple and the Church College of New Zealand by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...
in Hamilton on 2 April 2016. The couple have two children: a daughter born in 2017 and a son. She is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Adams' training base is at the
Centre national de sport de Macolin The Federal Office of Sport (FOSPO) is the Swiss federal government's centre for expertise in sports and a part of the Swiss Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports. Its mission is to promote sports and exercise in all age gro ...
in
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
.


Personal bests


Seasonal bests


International competitions

;Revised positions *2004 Olympic Games: Promoted to seventh following disqualification of winner
Irina Korzhanenko Irina Nikolayevna Korzhanenko (russian: Ирина Николаевна Коржаненко; born 16 May 1974 in Azov) is a former Russian shot putter. She gained international recognition when she won a bronze medal at the 1997 IAAF World Indo ...
and fourth-place
Svetlana Krivelyova Svetlana Vladimirovna Krivelyova (russian: Светлана Владимировна Кривелёва; born 13 June 1969) is a former track and field athlete who specialised in the shot put. Krivelyova was born in Bryansk, Russia. Her career ...
*2005 World Championships: Promoted to silver following disqualification of winner Nadzeya Astapchuk *2010 World Indoor Championships: Promoted to gold following disqualification of winner Nadzeya Astapchuk *2012 Olympic Games: Promoted to gold following disqualification of winner Nadzeya Astapchuk


National titles

* New Zealand Athletics Championships **Shot put: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018 **Hammer throw: 2003 * Australian Athletics Championships **Shot put: 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009


Circuit wins

* IAAF Diamond League:
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
,
2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
,
2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
,
2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
,
2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
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2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
** Shanghai Golden Grand Prix: 2010 **
Adidas Grand Prix The USA Track & Field, USATF New York Grand Prix is an annual athletics meeting held at Icahn Stadium in New York City, United States. First started in 2005 as the Reebok Grand Prix and then Adidas Grand Prix, it was previously one of the IAAF ...
: 2010, 2012, 2014 ** British Grand Prix: 2010, 2012, 2014 ** Meeting Areva: 2010, 2011, 2013 **
Herculis The Herculis is an annual track and field meet at Stade Louis II in Fontvieille, Monaco. Previously one of the five IAAF Super Grand Prix events, it is now part of the Diamond League. World records Over the course of its history, five world reco ...
: 2010, 2014, 2016 ** Stockholm Bauhaus Athletics: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 ** London Grand Prix: 2010, 2011, 2013 ** Weltklasse Zürich: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 ** Bislett Games: 2011 **
Athletissima Athletissima is an annual athletics meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland. Previously one of the five IAAF Super Grand Prix events, it is now part of the Diamond League. The first edition was held on 8 July 1977 in the Stade Pierre de Coubertin. In ...
: 2012, 2014, 2016 ** Golden Gala: 2012, 2014, 2016 ** Prefontaine Classic: 2013 **
Qatar Athletic Super Grand Prix The Doha Diamond League is an annual one-day track and field meeting held at the Suheim bin Hamad Stadium The Suheim bin Hamad Stadium (), also known as Qatar SC Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in Doha, Qatar. It is currently used mostly for ...
: 2014 ** Memorial Van Damme: 2014 **
Meeting International Mohammed VI d'Athlétisme de Rabat The Meeting International Mohammed VI d'Athlétisme de Rabat is an annual track and field competition at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, Morocco as part of the IAAF World Challenge Meetings. It was first organized in 2008. Its name ...
: 2016 *
IAAF World Athletics Final The IAAF World Athletics Final was an annual track and field competition organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). It was inaugurated in 2003 to replace the IAAF Grand Prix Final. The competition was part of the ...
:
2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
,
2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
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2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
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2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...


Awards

* Laureus World Sports Award for Sportswoman of the Year: 2015 nominee * IAAF World Athlete of the Year: 2014 *
Track & Field News Athlete of the Year The ''Track & Field News'' Athlete of the Year award is given to track and field athletes by ''Track & Field News'' magazine, an American sports magazine. A panel of international track and field experts organized by the magazine selects the winne ...
: 2012, 2013 *
New Zealand Listener Power List The ''New Zealand Listener'' Power List is a list of the most powerful people in New Zealand, compiled annually by the '' New Zealand Listener'' from 2004 to 2009. From 2004 to 2007, the list covered the 50 most powerful people without separatin ...
in Sport: 2008, 2009 * Member of the
Order of Queen Sālote Tupou III The ''Most Illustrious'' Order of Queen Sālote Tupou III is a knighthood order of the Kingdom of Tonga. History The Order was established on 28 June 2008 by His Late Majesty King George Tupou V to commemorate the grand figure of his grandmot ...
(31 July 2008). * New Zealand Order of Merit: 2017 * New Zealand's Sportswoman of the Year: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 * Halberg Awards – Supreme Award: 2007, 2008, 2009 * Lonsdale Cup of the New Zealand Olympic Committee: 2006, 2007, 2011, 2013, 2014


See also

*
Shot put at the Olympics The shot put at the Summer Olympics is one of four track and field throwing events held at the multi-sport event. The men's shot put has been present on the Olympic athletics programme since 1896 (one of two throws events at the first Olympics, ...
* List of Olympic medalists in athletics (women) * List of 2008 Summer Olympics medal winners * List of 2012 Summer Olympics medal winners * List of 2016 Summer Olympics medal winners * List of New Zealand Olympic medallists *
List of Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics (women) This is the complete list of Commonwealth Games medallists in women's athletics from 1934 to 2022. Current events 100 metres 200 metres 400 metres 800 metres 1500 metres 5000 metres 10,000 metres 100 metres hurdles 400 metres hu ...
* List of World Championships in Athletics medalists (women) * List of Australian athletics champions (women) *
List of New Zealand sportspeople The following is a list of New Zealand sportspeople. Basketball * Steven Adams – basketball player * Pero Cameron – basketball player * Sean Marks – basketball player * Dan Shamir (born 1975) - Israeli professional basketball coach, l ...
*
List of professional sports families This is a list of all familial relations in professional sports. Parents and children Couples See also *List of family relations in American football *List of association football families *List of Australian rules football families *L ...
* List of sporting knights and dames * Women in New Zealand


References

*


External links

* * * * * *
Vili wins the shot put title at the 2007 World Championships
at YouTube
Page with Photo, one of several at ''Sporting Heroes''
* IAAF highlight video {{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Valerie 1984 births Living people Sportspeople from Rotorua New Zealand female shot putters Olympic female shot putters Olympic athletes of New Zealand Olympic gold medalists for New Zealand Olympic silver medalists for New Zealand Olympic bronze medalists for New Zealand Olympic gold medalists in athletics (track and field) Olympic silver medalists in athletics (track and field) Olympic bronze medalists in athletics (track and field) Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2020 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics Commonwealth Games gold medallists for New Zealand Commonwealth Games silver medallists for New Zealand Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics Athletes (track and field) at the 2002 Commonwealth Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2006 Commonwealth Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2010 Commonwealth Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2014 Commonwealth Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2018 Commonwealth Games World Athletics Championships athletes for New Zealand World Athletics Championships medalists Dames Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit Sporting dames New Zealand Latter Day Saints New Zealand people of English descent New Zealand people of Tongan descent New Zealand sportspeople of Polynesian descent Track & Field News Athlete of the Year winners Diamond League winners World Athletics Indoor Championships winners IAAF Continental Cup winners World Athletics Championships winners IAAF World Athletics Final winners Members of the Order of Queen Sālote Tupou III