By REBECCA WALSH
International shot-put champion Valerie Adams arrived home to flowers and fanfare yesterday, but within hours the bouquets were resting on her mother's grave.
"All the success goes to her, no matter what happens," the 16-year-old said.
"I dropped off all my flowers, that friends and family had brought, to
my mum."
Lilika Ngauamo died of cancer last September. Although Lilika did not get to share her daughter's gold medal success at the World Youth Championships in Debrecen, Hungary, Valerie knows she would have been proud.
The Southern Cross Campus sixth-former took the under-18 title with a shot of 16.87m - 1.64m ahead of Michelle Carter of the United States.
Adams, whose mother encouraged her into the sport, admits she was nervous about the competition, especially going in ranked number one.
"I didn't know if I would pull out a good one ... When it was my last throw it was like, 'ah phew, that's finished.' All the hard training and stuff paid off."
It seems Adams' trip was charmed from the start. She was upgraded on the flight over to give her more leg room - she stands 1.93m (6ft 4in). Then, she and coach Kirsten Hellier got the best room in the hotel.
"We had the luxury room with the best view out on to the square. It was sweet."
After smashing the championship record and her own New Zealand under-20 and 18 records with a throw of 17.08m in the preliminaries, Adams is now keen for her next challenge.
She wants to break Val Young's New Zealand record of 17.26m set at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
Coach Hellier, silver medallist in the javelin at the 1994 Victoria Commonwealth Games, has no doubt Adams can do that.
"She's an awesome person ... As far as I'm concerned, she has the potential to go all the way."
Now it's back to the fitness routine and preparation for the World Junior Championships in Jamaica and the Commonwealth Games in Manchester next year.
