Dame Valerie Adams Qualifies for Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

In her first competition in 20 months, Dame Valerie Adams has thrown 18.65m in the women’s shot put at the Potts Classic in Hastings, bettering the Tokyo Olympic Games entry standard (18.50m) and the entry standard for the World Athletics Indoor Championships (18.30m), which are coming up in March 2020. This is the fifth time Dame Valerie has qualified for the Olympics.

Dame Valerie said she was pretty happy with how the day’s competition went. “I posted up a good distance today. 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 the 15th February.”

Second in the women’s shot put was Maddison Lee Wesche, with a best throw of 17.51m. Third was Victoria Owers with a best throw of 15.71m.

Earlier in the day, 2018 Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist Julia Ratcliffe came from behind to win the women’s hammer throw with a final round effort of 69.94m. Second was Lauren Bruce of Canterbury with a new PB throw of 67.87m, with Nicole Bradley of Auckland in third with a best throw of 66.72m.

Connor Bell was first in the senior men’s discus with a best throw of 63.25m, a new personal best with the 2kg discus for the 2018 Youth Olympic Games gold medallist. Alexander Parkinson was second with 58.31m and Marshall Hall third with 55.64m.

In the pole vault, Olivia McTaggart was first in the women’s competition with a best jump of 4.30m and Nick Southgate cleared 5.40m to take out the men’s competition.

Still to come this evening, Tom Walsh will compete in the senior men’s shot put, and Zoe Hobbs and Edward Osei-Nketia in the 100m finals.

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