Val Adams building for upcoming return

Val Adams is building for a return after post-season surgery. Photo / Andrew Cornaga

Val Adams must literally settle her nerves in time to win her fifth consecutive world championship shot put title at Beijing this August.

The 30-year-old had post-season surgery on her left shoulder and right elbow. The latter operation required moving the ulna nerve from the bottom to the top of her right forearm. That meant cutting a hole through the muscle to thread through a tendon she described as "pretty much rotten". The nerves had to repair millimetre by millimetre in a process which started six and a half months ago.

At the lowest point a couple of Adams' fingers wouldn't respond to the simplest of tasks which led to momentary doubts about her future as she chases an unprecedented New Zealand Olympic feat next year - the prospect of winning gold medals at three consecutive Games.

"The ring finger and pinky on my right hand were such that I couldn't pick up the phone, cut my fingernails or scratch my hair because I had no strength.

"It was more difficult because it was my throwing arm. The nerves, muscles and ligaments wouldn't respond.

"The trust and confidence is now back but it was weird having to see people like hand therapists. As a thrower I'm used to doing things in big loads but I was reduced to awkward little stretches [of my hand]; a situation I hadn't faced before."

Adams has been back in Switzerland progressing under coach Jean-Pierre Egger for three weeks. She would not speculate on a possible return date but ruled out competing in the Shanghai and Oslo Diamond League meets. The meet after that, in Paris on July 4, looks more likely. Adams is only expected to return once she's confident of throwing beyond 19.50m. The farthest indoor or outdoor throw this year is 19.45m by American Michelle Carter at Boston in March.

"I don't want to compete at 80 per cent," Adams said as she contemplates defending a record of 56 straight competition wins at international-ranked meets, stretching back to August 2010. Last year she became the first female thrower to be awarded the IAAF world governing body's athlete of the year.

Adams didn't want a repeat of what she described as a "freaky" incident in Morocco when she pulled out of the Continental Cup with injury. A pre-meet pain-killing injection that was supposed to last two hours ended up debilitating her for 24.

"Before the names were called, I scratched myself and went back to the hotel." Adams told the Herald on Sunday in January. "Someone said, 'congratulations' and I was like, 'what for?' I was super-upset. The person said, 'didn't you win the shot put?' and I had to tell them I didn't compete. It's just the assumption that's hard to deal with.

"I don't want to compete for the sake of competing and throw 17m. I want to turn up and do damage.

"As time goes by, age catches up with you, but the competitive spirit still exists to reach 21m."