Valerie Adams celebrates setting a championship record of 21.24m to win gold in Daegu (© Getty Images)
- In a lead-up to regain the World indoor title, World and Olympic Shot Put champion Valerie Adams was out to 20.19m to highlight eh Porritt Classic on Saturday (11) in Hamilton, New Zealand.
After a shaky start which saw her purposely foul after not being happy with her opening attempt, she was out to 19.69m, followed by 19.75m. Adams' best came in round four and she then finished off with efforts of 20.13m and 20.09m.
“That was a better series than I had in Christchurch," Adams said, referring to the mixed competition the weekend before. "At the moment our training is not conducive to big throws, because at the moment our aim is the World Indoor Championships."
Her coach Jean-Pierre Egger said he was very pleased, considering that her three throws over 20 metres were better than second place at last year’s World Championships in Daegu. Nadzeya Ostapchuk of Belarus was second to Adams in South Korea with 20.05m.
“But we must be better and we will be better,” said Egger.
Adams will meet her arch rival Ostapchuk again at the World Indoor Championships in Istanbul, Turkey on 10 March. At the 2008 championships Adams took the gold, but two years ago in Doha, Ostapchuk out-duelled Adams, reaching 20.85m to the New Zealander's 20.49m.
Adams' next meeting is in Sydney on Saturday (18) and then it is back to Switzerland with Egger, in the lead-up to Istanul and the Olympic Games.
Other highlights at the meeting included a personal best and meeting record in the High Jump by Elizabeth Lamb at 1.90m, just two centimeters shy of Tania Murray’s New Zealand record.
Athletics New Zealand for the IAAF
