Adams qualifies for Tokyo with throw
Double Olympic champion Dame Valerie Adams has won her comeback meeting after the birth of her second child, throwing 18.65m in the shot put at the Potts Classic in Hastings.
The distance was enough to gain an automatic qualification for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, although it was well short of her personal best of 21.24m.
‘‘I posted up a good distance today,’’ Dame Valerie said. ‘‘It was pretty consistent so I can’t complain, but this is our first time in 20 months out here so watch this space.
‘‘We had two goals to come out and achieve today and that was to qualify for World Indoor Championships in Nanjing in March and also for the Olympic Games in Tokyo, so it’s pretty awesome to do it on my first competition.
‘‘That kind of takes the pressure off just a little bit and I just hope to build more on this at the next comp, which is going to be at Porritt Classic on February 15.’’
Dame Valerie had a son last March, joining the daughter she welcomed in 2017.
But her successful return to competition in Hastings on Saturday showed that the competitive fire still burns deeply and gives her a good base from which to launch an Olympics campaign.
Her 18.65m throw was comfortably better than second placegetter Madison Wesche, whose effort of 17.51m was about one metre short of Olympic qualification. Adams won Olympic gold in 2008 and 2012, and then finished runner-up at the Rio Games in 2016.
Meanwhile Edward OseiNketia crossed second in the men’s 100m final. Despite a strong start Osei-Nketia crossed in 10.41 behind Hamish Gill of Auckland who held on to finish first in 10.40, just .01 of a second ahead. Third was Cody Wilson in 10.66.
Zoe Hobbs was a convincing winner in the women’s 100m final crossing in 11.38, .01 of a second off her personal best which she set at the Potts Classic in 2019. Second was Hawke’s Bay local Georgia Hulls in 11.74 and third was Rosie Elliott in 11.76
In the senior men’s shot put, Tom Walsh secured first with a best throw of 21.10m, with Ryan Ballantyne in second with 19.33m and German Jan Jeuschede third with 18.56m.