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Valerie Adams
Winning two Olympic shot put titles and four consecutive world titles.
Four world titles · Olympic gold
- Born
- 6 October 1984
- Birthplace
- Rotorua, New Zealand
More people
Valerie Adams
Valerie Adams is a New Zealand former shot putter whose international career spanned five Olympic Games. She won Olympic medals in four consecutive editions before retiring in 2022.
Early life
Multisport beginnings
Played basketball, rugby and volleyball before concentrating on athletics.
Coaching partnership
Began working with former javelin thrower Kirsten Hellier in 1998.
Career
- 2001
Youth champion
Won the world youth shot put title.
- 2002
Junior and senior success
Won world junior gold and Commonwealth Games silver.
- 2004
First Olympics
Competed at the Athens Games.
- 2022
Retirement
Ended an international career lasting more than two decades.
Achievements
Four world titles
Won four consecutive outdoor world championships.
Olympic gold
Won in Beijing and was awarded London gold after the original winner was disqualified.
Tokyo bronze
Added a fourth Olympic medal after her Rio silver.
Beyond athletics
Sporting family
Her siblings include basketball player Steven Adams and Paralympic champion Lisa Adams.
Motherhood
Returned to international competition after having children.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Athletics New Zealand annual report ↗Photo: New Zealand Government, Office of the Governor-General. CC BY 4.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
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