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Famous New Zealanders

Valerie Vili

  • Valerie Adams was born on 6 October, 1984, in Rotorua.
  • She first began competing aged 14 years, after taking part in a school competition and being seen by Kirsten Hellier, later her coach.
  • Her Tongan mother died from cancer when Valerie was only 16 years old.
  • In 1999 she competed in her first World Youth Championships, finishing in tenth place.
  • Two years later in 2001 Valerie won gold at the World Youth Championships in Hungary.
  • In 2002 Valerie was first in the World Junior Track and Field Championships in Kingston, Jamaica, throwing 17.73m and then went on to win silver at the Manchester Commonwealth Games, with a throw of 17.45m.
  • Valerie attended her first Olympic Games in Athens in 2004, just a month after being operated on for appendicitis. In the qualifying rounds Valerie finished in ninth place, missing the cut for the final. One of the finalists later failed a drugs test, which brought Valerie into eighth place.
  • Valerie married New Caledonian discus thrower Bertrand Vili in late 2004.
  • In December 2004, Valerie (now Vili) broke Val Young’s New Zealand record of 17.26m, which Young threw at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Valerie threw 19.29 m, becoming the first New Zealand woman to break the 19 metre barrier.
  • Valerie came third in the 2005 world championships in Helsinki with a throw of 19.62 m, and in January 2005 was named Athlete of the Year by Athletics New Zealand. She was also nominated for the Halberg Sportswoman of the Year award.
  • Heading to the Melbourne Commonwealth Games in March 2006, Valerie was ranked at no. 2 in the world. Before the games, she threw a personal best of 20.20m at the national track and field championships in Christchurch in January 2006, setting new Oceania and Commonwealth records.
  • In Melbourne, Valerie was well ahead of the field, throwing a winning distance of 19.66m in the second round to take the gold medal.
  • Valerie has held a job as assistant sports coordinator at Macleans College since 2003, finding it balances well with her training.
  • She is coached by Kirsten Hellier who was a Commonwealth Games javelin silver medallist. Hellier says that Valerie is the perfect natural athlete for the shot put, with the strength and physique (she is 6 ft 4 in tall), an amazingly competitive temperament, and the mental ability to perform well.

Sources:

Athletics: Vili makes it six of the best with record throw, New Zealand Herald, May 17, 2005

Taking a shot at gold, by Anna Jensen, Dominion Post, 3 February 2006, p. FS5

Hot shot smashes record, by Tony Smith, The Press, January 28, 2006 p. F1

Interview, by Greg Dixon, Metro, March 2006, p. 20

New Zealand Olympic Committee website