Dame Valerie Adams retires after legendary Olympic career

By 1news.co.nz and is republished with permission.

Dame Valerie Adams has announced her retirement from athletics, ending a stunning shot put career spanning two decades.

After 22 years at the top of the athletics scene, Dame Valerie has decided to “call it a day”. (Source: 1News)

Adams confirmed her decision in Auckland on Tuesday morning in front of friends, family and media.

“Today I am here to share with you all that I’m officially hanging up these size 14 throwing shoes,” Adams said through tears.

“After winning my bronze medal in Tokyo, I contemplated whether to embark on another campaign.

“I took some time to really process this thought and to see if it was something I actually wanted to do again.

“My heart, mind and body simply answered the question for me so it is time to call it a day.”

The 37-year-old retires having won four Olympic medals, including two golds, five Commonwealth Games medals of which three were golds, as well as four world championships and four indoor world championships.

Born in Rotorua to a Tongan mum and English father, Adams first showed signs of her huge potential when she won the World Youth Championships in 2001 with a throw of 16.87m.

She followed up that success a year later by becoming the World Junior champion with a throw of 17.73m before going on to earn an impressive first senior placing with a silver medal at the 2002 Commonwealth Games.

Two years later at her first Olympics, Adams finished seventh [after two subsequent disqualifications] despite still recovering from an appendectomy she had just weeks before.

In the years to come, Adams would add to her medal haul at numerous world championships, Commonwealth Games and Olympics Games.

Throughout it, Adams found a rival of sorts in Belarusian thrower Nadzeya Astapchuk although it was for all the wrong reasons.

Astapchuk and Adams were regularly on the podium together throughout the late 2000s although the Kiwi always managed to deliver when it counted, claiming World Championship titles in 2007 and 2009 as well as her first Olympic gold at the Beijing Games in 2008.

However, things took a turn in 2010 when Astapchuk defeated Adams by a large margin at the 2010 world indoor championships.

That result would be repeated two years later with Astapchuk initially winning the gold medal at the London Olympics before it was revealed she failed two drug tests – one a day before the event and the other on the day of competition – and was disqualified, promoting Adams to her second gold.

Famously, Adams was later quoted as believing chef de mission Dave Currie was “telling fibs” when she was informed of the news before she received the medal from New Zealand Governor-General, Sir Jerry Mateparae, at a special ceremony in Auckland later that year.

With the doping controversies out the way, Adams continued her dominance in the shot put arena with a fourth world title in 2013.

The win saw Adams surpass Astrid Kumbernuss for most all time by a female shot putter and made her the first woman to win four straight titles in an event at the competition.

Adams then followed that up with a third world indoor crown in 2014 before she went on to win gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow where she was also New Zealand’s flag bearer.

Injuries saw Adams miss a majority of the next two seasons before she returned to the Olympics in Rio where she won a third medal – a silver – after the USA’s Michelle Carter won the competition with her last put of the final.

Adams was then recognised in the 2017 New Years Honours as a Dame for services to athletics before skipping the entire season for the birth of her first child.

She then returned in 2018 with another silver at the Commonwealth Games before giving birth to her second child soon after.

Adams then had one of her biggest triumphs at last year’s Tokyo Olympics, winning an Olympic medal – a bronze – for the first time as a mum.

Adams also won New Zealand sportswoman of the year seven times and was the winner of the Supreme Halberg award three times as well as a five-time winner of the NZOC’s Lonsdale Cup.

Adams confirmed at the press conference she was looking forward to spending more time with her young family but will also continue to coach her sister for the next Paralympics.