Sister act as Adams coaches sibling
Olympic champion Dame Valerie Adams might not be the only Adams hurling a shot put in a black singlet in Tokyo next year.
Adams, one of New Zealand’s most decorated track and field athletes, has – for the last 12 months – been coaching her younger sister Lisa Adams.
Lisa, who has cerebral palsy, is aiming to represent New Zealand alongside her sister at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The para-athlete, who only took up the sport 12 months ago, is already just 45 centimetres off the F37 world record.
Adams knows her younger sister has ‘‘the mongrel’’ to be competitive on the international stage and she can see similarities to herself.
‘‘I knew she had the mongrel, I have the mongrel,’’ Adams told TVNZ.
But Lisa knows she has to carve her own path in the shot put world.
‘‘Her being all like, ‘This is my sister,’ isn’t going to put me on the podium. So still gotta work my own ass off,’’ Lisa said.
Despite already showing enormous potential, Lisa said competing with cerebral palsy makes the sport extremely challenging.
‘‘Range of movement’s affected, speed’s affected. I fatigue faster on that side – less coordinated, weak,’’ she told TVNZ.
But her older sister, one of the most respected and recognised faces in the athletics world, is backing Lisa to succeed.
‘‘It’s just built within our family, but she had the mongrel to throw this implement and I knew that from the word go.
‘‘I like the fact that she trains like me. There’s no soft cocks around here – she’s straight up stubborn. If I give her something to do and challenge her, she takes it on without actually wimping out,’’ Adams said.