Previews10 Sep 2014


Preview: women's shot – IAAF Continental Cup, Marrakech 2014

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Valerie Adams in action at the IAAF Continental Cup (© Getty Images)

Arriving with two victories at this competition under her belt, Valerie Adams appears all but destined to collect a third at Marrakech’s Great Stadium.

The 29-year-old New Zealander, who has won back-to-back Olympic gold and four straight world titles, comes riding a 56-meeting win streak, by far the longest in the sport. And she’s in form too; in her most recent victory in Brussels, where she secured a fourth straight Diamond Race title in the event, she reached a world-leading 20.59m. She has thrown beyond 20m in nine of her 14 competitions; her closest competitor has done so in four.

That’s the European champion Christina Schwanitz of Germany, with 20.22m from May her season’s best. Schwanitz has won 17 of her 22 competitions and finished runner-up in five – in all only behind Adams.

Third in the Diamond Race, US record-holder Michelle Carter, who has a season’s best of 19.80m, will have her eyes on a top-three finish, as will Olympic and European silver medallist Yevgeniya Kolodko of Russia, who’s reached 19.92m this season, but finished well back in Brussels where she was fifth. Meanwhile, Gong Lijiao, the Olympic bronze medallist with a 19.65m season’s best, is Adams’ formidable back-up on the Asia-Pacific squad.

Bob Ramsak for the IAAF

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