Val’s golden sister
The Tokyo Paralympics provided so many inspiring, heartfelt wins, but you’d be hardpressed to go past the golden moment when Kiwi track and field star Lisa Adams took out top honours in the shot put F37. And who was the first to congratulate the young athlete?
Her very proud sister and fellow shot put legend Dame Valerie. Not only is Val her sister’s coach, but also her inspiration for making it to the top in an event she only took up three years ago. “I’m late to the sport, but when I started, Tokyo was my dream and my sister, my coach, helped me turn that into a goal,” says Lisa. At her debut Games, 30-year-old Lisa, who has cerebral palsy, smashed the Paralympic shot put record four times during her competition, chalking up a personal best of 15.5m to claim the gold medal – more than two metres better than her nearest rival. “I was really really proud to do this for Aotearoa and our little team of five mill,” says Lisa.