Athletics: Valerie powers her way to gold

By TERRY MADDAFORD

For the second time in a year shot-putter Valerie Adams is on top of the world.

Yesterday, the 17-year-old left her older opponents in her wake as she powered her way to the world junior shot-put title.

Her first-round throw of 17.73m was never bettered at the World Junior Track and Field Championships in Kingston, Jamaica.

Her win follows her world youth title success in Hungary last year.

Adams' throw makes her a top contender for a Manchester Commonwealth Games medal.

Three women are now ranked higher, but the softly spoken Aucklander is showing her best form on the eve of the games.

Her win sparked an impromptu haka from team-mates, who had the 30,000-strong crowd cheering wildly.



Ranked only third going into the event, Adams blew the opposition away with her first-round throw.

Her opponents, beaten both mentally and on the scoreboard, were left chasing silver.

"I was determined to do well from the start," said Adams, who turns 18 on October 6. "I did not want to be No 3. I wanted to be No 1.

"That first throw really hit them. My intention was to go out and have a big one and set a mark they would struggle to beat."

She had done that in the qualifying competition on Saturday when her first throw was enough to book her place in the final.



Yesterday, after her first-up throw, which broke her own NZ senior and under-20 records - the 17.54m set in wintry conditions in Hamilton last month - she recorded a no throw, 17.58m, a no throw, 16.94m and a final 17.30m.

All four throws were better than the 16.76m best by second-placed Zhang Ying (China).

American Laura Gerraughty was third with 16.62m. Both she and Zhang were ranked ahead of Adams before the championships.

Adams was, however, still well short of the world junior record of 20.54m set by German Astrid Kumbemuss in the late 1980s.

At the start of the 2001-02 season, Adams, a Herald Junior Sports Awards winner this year, had a best of 17.08m - her golden throw at the youth championships.

Since then she has gone on the rampage.

This year she wiped out one of New Zealand's longest-standing records - the 17.26m national record set by Val Young at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

"It's great," Adams said yesterday of her Kingston victory. "I have achieved pretty much all I wanted to here. Now I'm looking forward to the Commonwealth Games."

That will be a tough test. The No 1 ranking is held by 27-year-old Nigerian Vivian Chukwuemeka, who threw 18.17m in May.

She is followed by South Africans Drienkie van Wyk, aged 31 - 17.88m in January - and Veronica Abrahamse, 22, who threw 17.76m in March.