(Sports news) Shot put legend Dame Valerie Adams has announced retirement from the sport after a glittering career that spanned for over 2 decades. Adams had won the gold at the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympics. She had also won the silver medal in Rio and a bronze at Tokyo in 2020. She is regarded as one of the most successful athletes in the event and is the first woman to win four medals at the Olympics in a field event.

“I have given my heart and soul to the sport. Loved and nurtured it from a young age, watched it grow as a girl to now as a woman fully grown. It is beautiful and exciting, at times hard and unforgiving, but always honest, ever enquiring. To all those who dare lift the shot, I'm looking at you, girl. Do so with my blessing as it has been given to me, I give also to you. Strength and courage. There is the dream, good and true. Take it. While today marks the end of my shot put career, athletics will always be a part of my life,” said Adams.

Hailing from New Zealand, she made her professional debut in 1999 at the age of 14 at the World U18 Championships in Bydgoszcz. Since then, Adams has won 4 consecutive World Championships starting from Osaka in 2007 till the 2013 Moscow Championships. The 6 feet 4 inch athlete has also won 4 indoor World Championship titles, she still holds the national record of 21.24m which was set 11 years ago at Daegu. In Indoors, the 37 year old has a personal best of 20.98m at Zurich in 2013.

Although the sporting arena would not be seeing Adams participating, she will continue coaching her sister Lisa Adams who is the reigning Paralympic shot put champion in the F37 event. One of her most dominant periods was from 2010-2014 where Adams had a  56-competition win streak and was the world athlete of the year in 2014. She had last crossed the 20m mark in 2016 and has been regularly throwing above 18m in the past three years. The veteran had thrown 19.75m in 2021 which was the joint 5th best of the season. This year the season’s best throw of 18.49m is by Maddison-Lee Wesche from New Zealand, the 22 year old was 6th at Tokyo and will need more power to break the existing national record of Adams.

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