Valerie Adams

Athlete

• Born: October 6, 1984
• Birthplace: Rotorua, New Zealand

Also known as: Dame Valerie Kasanita Adams; Valerie Vili

Education: Southern Cross Campus

Significance: Dame Valerie Adams is a world champion shot-putter from New Zealand. She has won multiple Olympic medals, multiple International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) championships and multiple Commonwealth Games. One of only a handful of athletes to have won world championships at the youth, junior and senior levels, Adams is also the first female athlete to win four consecutive titles at the IAAF championships. In 2016 she was made a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit.

Background

Valerie Adams was born in Rotorua, New Zealand, on 6 October 1984 to Tongan native Lilika Ngauamo and Englishman Sydney Adams. Her parents separated when she was in preschool, and she moved with her mother to Mangere, outside Auckland. Her father had eighteen children altogether, many of whom inherited their father's tall stature and several found success as athletes. By her early teens Adams was the tallest person in her class at school. Her height made her a target of bullying, and she became shy and withdrawn. However, a physical education teacher recognized her athletic potential and pushed her to hone her skills as a track-and-field competitor.

After she set a regional record in shot put, it was clear that Adams had the potential to be a star athlete. When she was fourteen, she met former javelin-thrower Kirsten Hellier, who agreed to become Adams's coach. Adams's mother supported the training but was battling cancer, which meant Adams often missed school to care for her at home and eventually in hospice. Watching the 2000 Sydney Olympics by her mother's bedside inspired Adams to pursue her own Olympic dreams. Adams's mother died in September 2000, and for a time Adams moved in with Hellier. The tragedy strengthened Adams's bond with her coach, her dedication to training and her resolve to compete.

Life's Work

Adams quickly progressed as a talented shot-putter at the international level. She won the youth world championship in 2001 and the junior world championship in 2002 before competing as a senior at the age of seventeen at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, where she won the silver medal. The next year she placed fifth at the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships. She then made it to the Olympics in 2004 in Athens, Greece. However, she was recovering from an emergency appendectomy and narrowly missed the top eight, losing the chance for three more throws. Her disappointment deepened when the eventual gold medallist was later stripped of her medal for failing a drugs test, meaning Adams should have progressed to the finals.

Despite the 2004 Olympic setback Adams continued to train and compete and soon returned to success. Beginning in 2005 Adams embarked on an impressive run across all the major world competitions (then competing as Valerie Vili). During the 2005 IAAF World Championships she finished second overall, and she captured first at the IAAF World Athletics Final the same year. In 2006 she won gold at the Commonwealth Games and also placed first at the IAAF World Cup and the World Championship before undergoing shoulder surgery. Over the next four years she suffered only one other international defeat, placing second at the 2007 IAAF World Athletics Final.

Adams returned to the Olympics in Beijing, China, in 2008. There she won the gold medal with a mark of 20.56 metres, bringing New Zealand its first track-and-field Olympic medal since 1976 and its first women's gold since 1952. The victory significantly raised her profile at home and around the world. After parting with Hellier as her coach in 2010, she followed up with a gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and wins at several further IAAF events (setting a personal best and NZ-record mark of 21.24 metres at the 2011 World Championship). Between 2010 and 2015 Adams was consistently ranked the top shot-putter in the world. During this period, she would win an unheard-of fifty-six straight competitions, including IAAF indoor and outdoor championships. In 2012 Adams returned to the Olympic stage in London. There, she finished second to Nadzeya Ostapchuk of Belarus. However, Ostapchuk later tested positive for the banned substance metenolone and relinquished the gold medal to Adams.

In 2014 the IAAF named Adams its World Female Athlete of the Year. During her historic winning streak she was also honoured with the NZ Olympic Committee's Londsale Cup in 2011, 2013 and 2014 (having previously received the award in 2006 and 2007 as well). She also won numerous other honours, including multiple titles at the Halberg Awards. Adams underwent offseason shoulder and elbow surgery in 2014. She recovered well but saw the streak end in July 2015.

In 2016 Adams entered the Rio Olympics as defending champion. However, she fell just short of the gold, with her best throw (20.42 metres) earning silver behind American Michelle Carter's 20.63 metres.

Meanwhile, the controversy over performance-enhancing drugs in track and field continued. While Adams was never associated with doping, the scandal nonetheless had a potential bearing on her career and legacy, as the IAAF considered a radical reset of its record books. In 2017 the European Athletics organisation, with support from Athletics New Zealand and other groups, proposed a plan in which all record-holding athletes must have undergone drug tests and have samples filed for future testing. The plan drew controversy for potentially wiping out the achievement of clean athletes as well as cheaters. Adams, however, stood to be named the world record holder in women's shot put under the proposal.

Impact

As one of the most successful NZ athletes ever, Valerie Adams became a popular, respected figure in her home country and beloved by the press. She is renowned in the international track-and-field community for her great skill and record-setting achievements, including her unprecedented winning streak. Adams has received numerous honours in recognition of her accomplishments. Notably, in 2016 she was appointed a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit.

Personal Life

Valerie Adams and her husband, Gabriel Price, had a daughter, Kimoana Josephine Adams-Price, in 2017. She was married to Bertrand Vili, a Caledonian discus thrower, from 2005 to 2010. She splits time between Auckland and Switzerland, where she trains.

Bibliography

Alderson, Andrew. "Olympics: Drug Cheats Shadow Valerie Adams." NZHerald.co.nz, 3 July 2016, www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c‗id=4&objectid=11667799. Accessed 8 Dec. 2017.

Bingham, Eugene. "Valerie Vili—Two Shots, One Aim." NZHerald.co.nz, 15 July 2006, www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c‗id=1&objectid=10391311. Accessed 8 Dec. 2017.

France, Marvin. "New Year's Honours: Dame Valerie Adams Blown Away but Still Has More to Achieve." Stuff, 31 Dec. 2016, www.stuff.co.nz/sport/other-sports/87994208/new-years-honours-dame-valerie-adams-blown-away-but-still-has-more-to-achieve. Accessed 8 Dec. 2017.

Hinton, Marc. "NZ's Valerie Adams Could Hold World Record if IAAF Approves Radical Proposal." Stuff, 2 May 2017, www.stuff.co.nz/sport/other-sports/92151021/nzs-valerie-adams-could-hold-world-record-if-iaaf-approves-radical-proposal. Accessed 8 Dec. 2017.

Smith, Tony. "New Zealand's Golden Olympic Moments: Valerie Adams in Beijing 2008." Stuff, 18 July 2016, www.stuff.co.nz/sport/olympics/82211601/new-zealands-golden-olympic-moments-valerie-adams-in-beijing-2008. Accessed 8 Dec. 2017.

"Valerie Adams." International Association of Athletics Federations, 2017, www.iaaf.org/athletes/new-zealand/valerie-adams-170664. Accessed 8 Dec 2017.

"Valerie Adams." New Zealand Olympic Committee, 2017, www.olympic.org.nz/athletes/valerie-adams. Accessed 8 Dec. 2017.