Valerie Adams
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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 A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
, four-time World Indoor champion, two-time
Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...
, three-time
Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...
champion and twice
IAAF Continental Cup The IAAF Continental Cup was an international track and field competition organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). The event was proposed by IAAF former President Primo Nebiolo and was first held in 1977 as ...
winner. She has a personal best throw of 21.24 metres outdoors and 20.98 m indoors. These marks are
Oceanian Oceania (, , ) is a geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern and Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of and a population of around 44.5 million as of ...
,
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 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. Adams was the third woman to win world championships at the
youth Youth is the time of life when one is young. The word, youth, can also mean the time between childhood and adulthood ( maturity), but it can also refer to one's peak, in terms of health or the period of life known as being a young adult. You ...
,
junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * ''Junior'' (Junior Mance album), 1959 * ''Junior'' (Röyksopp album), 2009 * ''Junior'' (Kaki King album), 2010 * ''Junior'' (LaFontaines album), 2019 Films * ''Junior'' (1994 ...
, and senior level of an athletics event, following the feats of
Yelena Isinbayeva Yelena Gadzhievna Isinbayeva ( rus, Елена Гаджиевна Исинбаева, p=jɪˈlʲɛnə gɐˈdʐɨjɪvnə ɪsʲɪnˈbajɪvə; born 3 June 1982) is a Russian former pole vaulter. She is a two-time Olympic gold medalist (2004 and 20 ...
and
Jana Pittman Jana Pittman (born 9 November 1982) is an Australian former athlete. During her athletic career Pittman specialised in the 400 metres run and 400-metre hurdles events. She is a two-time world champion in the 400 m hurdles, from 2003 and 200 ...
. 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 The World Athlete of the Year award is a prize that can be won by athletes participating in events within the sport of athletics organised by World Athletics (formerly named IAAF), including track and field, cross country running, road running, and ...
in 2014 and the Track & Field News Athlete of the Year 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 Championshi ...
(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 Nadzeya Astapchuk ( be, Надзея Мікалаеўна Астапчук, ''Nadzeya Mikalayeuna Astapchuk''; russian: Надежда Остапчук, ''Nadezhda Ostapchuk;'' born October 28, 1980) is a Belarusian shot putter. She briefly was d ...
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 The New Zealand Athletics Championships is an annual outdoor track and field competition organised by Athletics New Zealand, which serves as the national championship for the sport in New Zealand. It usually takes place over a three-day period fro ...
between 2001 and 2018, as well as having a
hammer throw The hammer throw is one of the four throwing events in regular track and field competitions, along with the discus throw, shot put and javelin. The "hammer" used in this sport is not like any of the tools also called by that name. It consis ...
national title in 2003. Adams also won four times at the
Australian Athletics Championships The Australian Athletics Championships or Australian Open Track and Field Championships are held annually to determine Australia's champion athletes in a range of athletics events. The championships are the primary qualification trial for athlet ...
between 2004 and 2008. From 2006 to 2012 she was chosen as the New Zealand Sportswoman of the Year seven times consecutively and has been awarded the
Lonsdale Cup The Lonsdale Cup is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 2 miles and 56 yards (3,270 metres), and it is scheduled ...
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 Sport New Zealand (Sport NZ) (Māori: ''Ihi Aotearoa'') is a New Zealand Crown entity responsible for governing sport and recreation in New Zealand. Sport NZ believes sport is an integral part of New Zealand's culture and way of life. The org ...
, and was the subject of the documentary '' Dame Valerie Adams: More than Gold''.


Career


Early career

In 1998 Adams met former
javelin throw The javelin throw is a track and field event where the javelin, a spear about in length, is thrown. The javelin thrower gains momentum by running within a predetermined area. Javelin throwing is an event of both the men's decathlon and the ...
er
Kirsten Hellier Kirsten Louise Hellier (née Smith; born 6 October 1969 in Tokoroa) is a former javelin thrower, who represented New Zealand at the Commonwealth and the Olympic Games. She set her personal best (62.52 metres) in 1994 with the old javelin type ...
, 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 The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...
, 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 Seventh is the ordinal form of the number seven. Seventh may refer to: * Seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution * A fraction (mathematics), , equal to one of seven equal parts Film and television *"The Seventh", a second-season e ...
(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 A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
with a personal best throw of 19.87 m. When the original winner,
Nadzeya Astapchuk Nadzeya Astapchuk ( be, Надзея Мікалаеўна Астапчук, ''Nadzeya Mikalayeuna Astapchuk''; russian: Надежда Остапчук, ''Nadezhda Ostapchuk;'' born October 28, 1980) is a Belarusian shot putter. She briefly was d ...
, 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 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 ...
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 is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...
World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
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 Nadzeya Astapchuk ( be, Надзея Мікалаеўна Астапчук, ''Nadzeya Mikalayeuna Astapchuk''; russian: Надежда Остапчук, ''Nadezhda Ostapchuk;'' born October 28, 1980) is a Belarusian shot putter. She briefly was d ...
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 Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...
(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 R ...
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 Championshi ...
. 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 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 late ...
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 Nadzeya Astapchuk ( be, Надзея Мікалаеўна Астапчук, ''Nadzeya Mikalayeuna Astapchuk''; russian: Надежда Остапчук, ''Nadezhda Ostapchuk;'' born October 28, 1980) is a Belarusian shot putter. She briefly was d ...
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 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 The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...
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 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 Nadzeya Astapchuk ( be, Надзея Мікалаеўна Астапчук, ''Nadzeya Mikalayeuna Astapchuk''; russian: Надежда Остапчук, ''Nadezhda Ostapchuk;'' born October 28, 1980) is a Belarusian shot putter. She briefly was d ...
, 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 Lieutenant General Sir Jeremiah Mateparae (born 14 November 1954) is a former New Zealand soldier who served as the 20th Governor-General of New Zealand between 2011 and 2016, the second Māori person to hold the office, after Sir Paul Reeve ...
, 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 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 Sopot is a seaside resort city in Pomerelia on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea in northern Poland, with a population of approximately 40,000. It is located in Pomeranian Voivodeship, and has the status of the county, being the smallest ci ...
in Poland with a distance of 20.67 m. Her gold medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, 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 t ...
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 The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant (document), royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Monarchy of New Zealand, Queen of New Zealand, "for those ...
. 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 on the
Gold Coast Gold Coast may refer to: Places Africa * Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana: ** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642) ** Dutch G ...
, 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. 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
Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...
n mother (Lilika Ngauamo) and an English father (Sydney Adams). Her father, who settled in New Zealand after service in the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
, 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, and two other brothers played professional basketball in New Zealand. Their sister, Lisa Adams, is a
paralympic The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaire ...
champion shot-putter and discus thrower who has cerebral palsy. Adams was married to Bertrand Vili, a
discus throw The discus throw (), also known as disc throw, is a track and field event in which an athlete throws a heavy disk (mathematics), disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than their competitors. It is an classical antiqui ...
er 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 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 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...
. Adams' training base is at the Centre national de sport de Macolin 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 and fourth-place Svetlana Krivelyova *2005 World Championships: Promoted to silver following disqualification of winner
Nadzeya Astapchuk Nadzeya Astapchuk ( be, Надзея Мікалаеўна Астапчук, ''Nadzeya Mikalayeuna Astapchuk''; russian: Надежда Остапчук, ''Nadezhda Ostapchuk;'' born October 28, 1980) is a Belarusian shot putter. She briefly was d ...
*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 The New Zealand Athletics Championships is an annual outdoor track and field competition organised by Athletics New Zealand, which serves as the national championship for the sport in New Zealand. It usually takes place over a three-day period fro ...
**Shot put: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018 **Hammer throw: 2003 *
Australian Athletics Championships The Australian Athletics Championships or Australian Open Track and Field Championships are held annually to determine Australia's champion athletes in a range of athletics events. The championships are the primary qualification trial for athlet ...
**Shot put: 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009


Circuit wins

*
IAAF Diamond League The Diamond League is an annual series of elite track and field athletic competitions comprising fourteen of the best invitational athletics meetings. The series sits in the top tier of the World Athletics (formerly known as the IAAF) one-day mee ...
:
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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 ...
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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 The Diamond League Shanghai is an annual athletics event at the Shanghai Stadium in Shanghai, China as part of the Diamond League. The meeting was founded as the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix in 2005. The meet assumed its current name in 2010. From ...
: 2010 ** Adidas Grand Prix: 2010, 2012, 2014 **
British Grand Prix The British Grand Prix is a Grand Prix motor race organised in the United Kingdom by the Royal Automobile Club. First held in 1926, the British Grand Prix has been held annually since 1948 and has been a round of the FIA Formula One World Ch ...
: 2010, 2012, 2014 **
Meeting Areva Meeting de Paris (formerly known as the Meeting Areva and Meeting Gaz de France) is an annual track and field meeting at the Stade Sébastien Charléty in Paris, France. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it is now part of the Diamon ...
: 2010, 2011, 2013 ** Herculis: 2010, 2014, 2016 **
Stockholm Bauhaus Athletics BAUHAUS-galan, formerly known as DN-Galan is an annual, international athletics meeting that takes place at the Olympic Stadium in Stockholm. Previously it was one of the five IAAF Super Grand Prix events until 2010, and has since been part of the ...
: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 **
London Grand Prix The London Diamond League, formerly known as the London Grand Prix and subsequently as the Anniversary Games, is an annual athletics event held in London, England. Previously one of the five IAAF Super Grand Prix events, it is now part of the Di ...
: 2010, 2011, 2013 **
Weltklasse Zürich Weltklasse Zürich ( en, World Class Zurich) is an annual, invitation-only, world-class track and field meeting at the Letzigrund in Zürich, Switzerland, generally held at the end of August or beginning of September. Previously one of the IAAF G ...
: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 **
Bislett Games The Bislett Games is an annual track and field meeting at the Bislett Stadium in Oslo, Norway. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it is now part of the Diamond League. History The first international athletics meeting at Bislet ...
: 2011 ** Athletissima: 2012, 2014, 2016 **
Golden Gala Golden Gala is an annual track and field event normally held at the Olympic Stadium in Rome, Italy. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it is now part of the Diamond League. Following the 2013 death of Italian sprinting legend Pie ...
: 2012, 2014, 2016 **
Prefontaine Classic The Prefontaine Classic, an Oregon Track Club event, is one of the premier track and field meets in the United States, held in Eugene, Oregon. Every year it draws a world caliber field to compete at Hayward Field on the campus of the University ...
: 2013 ** Qatar Athletic Super Grand Prix: 2014 **
Memorial Van Damme The Memorial Van Damme is an annual athletics event at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Belgium, that takes place in late August or early September. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it is now the final event of the Diamond L ...
: 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:
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 ...
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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 The Laureus World Sports Award for Sportswoman of the Year is an annual award honouring the achievements of individual women from the world of sports. It was first awarded in 2000 as one of the seven constituent awards presented during the Laure ...
: 2015 nominee *
IAAF World Athlete of the Year The World Athlete of the Year award is a prize that can be won by athletes participating in events within the sport of athletics organised by World Athletics (formerly named IAAF), including track and field, cross country running, road running, and ...
: 2014 * Track & Field News Athlete of the Year: 2012, 2013 * New Zealand Listener Power List in Sport: 2008, 2009 * Member of the Order of Queen Sālote Tupou III (31 July 2008). *
New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant (document), royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Monarchy of New Zealand, Queen of New Zealand, "for those ...
: 2017 * New Zealand's Sportswoman of the Year: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 * Halberg Awards – Supreme Award: 2007, 2008, 2009 *
Lonsdale Cup The Lonsdale Cup is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 2 miles and 56 yards (3,270 metres), and it is scheduled ...
of the
New Zealand Olympic Committee The New Zealand Olympic Committee (before 1994, The ''New Zealand Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association'') is both the National Olympic Committee and the Commonwealth Games Association in New Zealand responsible for selecting athletes to re ...
: 2006, 2007, 2011, 2013, 2014


See also

* Shot put at the Olympics *
List of Olympic medalists in athletics (women) This is the complete list of women's Olympic medalists in athletics. Women’s events 100 metres 200 metres 400 metres 800 metres 1500 metres 5000 metres 10,000 metres Marathon 100 metres hurdles 400 metres hurdles 3000 met ...
*
List of 2008 Summer Olympics medal winners A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: People * List (surname) Organizations * List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America * SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...
*
List of 2012 Summer Olympics medal winners The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXX Olympiad, were held in London, United Kingdom, from 25 July 2012 to 12 August 2012. Approximately 10,500 athletes participated in 302 events in 26 sports. Athletes from the Unite ...
*
List of 2016 Summer Olympics medal winners The 2016 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXXI Olympiad, were held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 August 2016 to 21 August 2016. Approximately 11,000 athletes from 206 nations participated in 306 events in 42 Olympic spor ...
*
List of New Zealand Olympic medallists New Zealand Olympic medallists's success for New Zealand at the Olympics is often considered to be notable due to the relatively small population of the country ( million as of ). Being located in the remote South Pacific, New Zealanders neede ...
* List of Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics (women) *
List of World Championships in Athletics medalists (women) Women have contested events at the World Athletics Championships since its inauguration in 1983. The top three athletes in each event win gold, silver and bronze medals, respectively. A one-off edition of the championships was also held the same y ...
*
List of Australian athletics champions (women) Australian Athletics Championships for women have been conducted since 1930.List of New Zealand sportspeople * List of professional sports families *
List of sporting knights and dames This is a list of people who have been knighted by the British honours system for their contribution to sport. Administration *Dame Marea Hartman (1994, DBE, 1920–1994)*British athletics sports administrator. She was one of the longest-servin ...
*
Women in New Zealand Women in New Zealand are women who live in or are from New Zealand. Notably New Zealand was the first self-governing country in the world where women were entitled to vote. In recent times New Zealand has had many women in top leadership and go ...


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