Valerie Adams

Valerie Adams at the World Athletics Championships 2009

Valerie Kasanita Adams, ONZM ( born October 6, 1984 in Rotorua ) is a New Zealand athlete. She is two -time Olympic gold medalist and four -time world champion in the shot put.

Sports career

Adams began at the age of 14 years with the competitive sports. Already as a junior she was one of the strongest shot putter inside their country. At the age of 16, she was in 2001 for the first time New Zealand champion, the same year she became Junior World Champion. In 2002, she won the title at the Junior World Championships in Kingston and pulled at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester the silver medal.

In 2003 she participated in the World Championships in Paris / Saint- Denis and was in the shot put with a distance of 18.65 m Fifth. The following year she also reached at the Olympic Games in Athens in the final and finished at the end of the competition with 18.56 m eighth.

At the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki Adams finished with a width of 19.62 m in third. In 2006, she won at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne with 19,66 m. A year later she won the gold medal at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka. In the final round of the competition, it achieved a width of 20.54 m and displaced the Belarusian Nadseja Astaptschuk to second place. With this title, she succeeded in youth, the youth and to win the world title at senior level ( previously managed the only Jana Pittman in 2003, Yelena Isinbayeva in 2005 and Veronica Campbell 2007). At the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, she defended her title with a distance of 20.44 m successful. Two years later, she repeated her success. With a width of 21.24 m she won in Daegu, South Korea at the World Championships in 2011 their third gold medal at the world championships. At the World Championships 2013 in Moscow, she won with a distance of 20.88 m again the title and thus became the most successful putter at World Championships.

The Olympic year 2008 began for Valerie Adams winning the title at the World Indoor Championships 2008 in Valencia. In the summer they celebrated their biggest success. With a length of 20.56 m she was Olympic champion in the shot put at the Olympics in Beijing. Valerie Adams was the first woman since 1952 Yvette Williams, who won an Olympic gold medal in track and field for New Zealand. Also at the 2012 Olympics in London was Valerie Adams gold medalist in the shot put; Although the Belarusian Nadseja Astaptschuk had 66 inches pushed further, however weger two positive doping samples was disqualified.

By 2007, it was seven times New Zealand champion in the shot put. She was also the 2003 national champion in the hammer throw and discus throw in 2004.

At a height of 1.96 m her competition weight is 120 kg. Adams is a maternal and paternal tonganischer Scottish descent. She was married for several years with the New Caledonian discus thrower Bertrand Vili. At the World Championships in 2005, 2007 and 2009, she launched under the name Valerie Vili, 2010 she got a divorce and since then occurs again under her birth name.

Personal best

• Shot Put: 21.24 m 29 August, 2011, Daegu ( Ozeanienrekord ) Hall: 20.54 m 10 March, 2012, Istanbul ( Ozeanienrekord )