Jess Hamill of New Zealand poses with her silver medal. Photo / Getty Images
Jess Hamill added to New Zealand's medal tally overnight when she finished second in the parasport shot put.
The 20-year-old Southlander, an F34 athlete, had the biggest throw of the night, 7.17m, but finished behind Australia's Louise Ellery, an F32 athlete who threw a personal best of 6.17.
"I was
nervous but I think it helped me," Hamill said. "It was really hot out there but I managed to live up to my expectations.
"It was hot, really hot. It's mentally tough. It's not like a race where you're out there, you run and then you're finished. I was out there for three hours."
Hamill's first throw of 7.17m - 26cm below her PB - was also her best and she wore a look of frustration when her last throw went out to 7.05m.
Hamill would have needed an estimated 30-40cm to have snatched gold from Ellery, the favourite.
Coach Raylene Bates said they had come expecting bronze but ended up with silver.
England's Gemma Prescott won bronze with her final throw of the night, 5.54m.
There will be little time for Hamill to soak up the atmosphere of the village and bask in her success. She leaves Delhi bound for Invercargill today.
Hamill's silver was New Zealand's fifth medal on day three of the Commonwealth Games in Delhi. Earlier, Lauren Ellis won silver and Simon van Velthoozen bronze at the velodrome.
Backstroker Gareth Kean won silver in the pool as did the women's 200m freestyle relay team.
