Shot put: No rush after arm surgery, says Adams

Rotorua-born Valerie Adams is recovering well from surgery. She is pictured getting active with local children at Village Green yesterday. Photo / Andrew Warner

Shot put superstar Valerie Adams is recovering well from surgery but says she will not rush back into training.

She visited Rotorua yesterday as part of a nationwide tour, spending time with children at the Village Green and meeting fans at the Rotorua Central PostShop on Tutanekai St.

The Rotorua-born athlete had her right arm in a sling yesterday, after undergoing surgery last month on her right elbow and non-throwing left shoulder.

Adams said the recovery was going well and she expected to be back in training by January, but was not rushing the process.

"It's not too bad at all. It has been three weeks, last Friday, and so far so good. These type of things you can't really rush, you just have to be patient.

"I am not risking or rushing anything, it's just a matter of doing what we need to do and building towards the world champs [in China] in August and Olympics in 2016."

She said she would be staying in New Zealand until January before returning to her European base in Switzerland. Adams said her non-throwing shoulder had been nagging her for a while and it was good to get it sorted with surgery.

Although she does not use it for throwing, she does use it for a lot of her training such as weights.

The two-time Olympic champion is currently on a winning streak of 56 straight successes.

Among her top achievements this year was her gold-medal performance at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, her third gold and fourth medal at the Games.

Adams was also recently announced as one of three finalists for the IAAF Women's World Athlete of the Year Award.

Her next stop on the nationwide tour is Palmerston North.