Athletics: Shot put star ready for 'mind games' and London

New Zealand's Valerie Adams. Photo / Brett Phibbs

In an ominous warning to potential rivals, Olympic shot put champion Valerie Adams says she has never been in better shape at this stage of the year.

The 27-year-old leaves next week for a five-day camp, with coach Jean-Pierre Egger in Switzerland, before heading to Istanbul for the world indoor championships.

"The goal there, obviously, is to try to win the title back from Nadzeya Ostapchuk, who took it in 2010," Adams said, likening the championship to a series of "mind games" before the main event in London. "Then, basically, it's head down and bum up and train right through to the Games."

She has enjoyed a fine start to her campaign, winning titles in Australia and tuning her body to where she needs it to be.

"I'm in the best shape I've ever been this time of year," she said. "Better than what I was last year. I'm physically as prepared as I could be at this time of year.

"I feel everything is on track. Jean-Pierre is very happy with how things are going."

As reigning Olympic and world champion, Adams instils fear into her opponents but the flip side of that is having to deal with the expectation that she only has to turn up and win.

"There is this pressure there, it's always going to be there whether I like it or not," she said.

"Being the Olympic champion and the world champion is a hard title to carry but you have to take the challenges as they come. It's Olympic year, the pinnacle of my sporting career and everyone else's sporting career so they're [her opponents] there to win.

"I'm going to be as prepared as I can be for August 6 so I can give all I can give to win my title back."

Adams also released a short promotional video, shot for one of her sponsors, in which she talked about dealing with the loss of her mother, Lilika, when she was 15.