Kiwi Adams bemoans poor shot put field after winning gold

Published>Sun, Oct 10 10 12:07 AM

World and Olympic champion Valerie Adams gave a frank assessment of the feeble field in the Commonwealth Games shot put after requiring just one throw to retain her title.

New Zealander Adams, one of the few world class competitors in the athletics field, recorded 20.47 metres with her first attempt, throwing her arms in the air in delight before going on to beat the 20 metres mark with each of her five remaining throws.

"Job done. That is what I wanted, to rip it up and throw big and win gold," the 25-year-old told reporters at the Jawaharla Nehru Stadium. "The standard in the Commonwealth (Games) is not that high so I didn't want just to win, I wanted to set a good mark."

Trinidad and Tobago's Cleopatra Brown finished a distant second to Adams, almost 1.5 of a metre behind.

"I'm used to it. In New Zealand there is no competition. Tonight there was more competition from Cleopatra Brown than at home," Adams added.

The victory provided some joy for the Kiwi after a difficult year where she split with her long-term coach Kirsten Hellier and suffered marital problems.

"It's been the longest season of my career. It's hard on the body to throw well at the end of the season. I am happy," she said.

Source: Web Search