Valerie Adams

She married Bertrand Vili, a discus thrower from New Caledonia in 2004. The marriage however ran into trouble a few years later and the couple divorced in 2010.

She was born on 6 October 1984 in Rotorua, New Zealand, to a Tongan mother, Lillika Ngauamo, and an English father, Sydney Adams. Her father, who once worked with the Royal Navy, settled in New Zealand after service. Her father had been in several relationships and had a total of 18 children with five women.

Three of her brothers, including the NBA basketball player Steven Adams, also became professional sportsmen.

She was tall with strong arms and participated in the sporting events held at her school. One of her Physical Education teachers recognized her potential and encouraged her sporting interests.

She met the former javelin thrower Kirsten Hellier in 1998, and Hellier agreed to coach the teenager.

A tragedy befell the girl when her mother became ill with cancer. Valerie left school for three months to live with her mother in the hospice as she struggled with the disease. It was the year 2000 and as the mother-daughter duo watched the Sydney Olympic Games, Valerie was deeply inspired to become a successful athlete. Her mother died shortly afterwards.

She became active on the sporting circuit and registered her first major win in 2001 when she clinched the title in the World Youth Championships with a throw of 16.87 m. Within a year she cemented her reputation as a rising sporting star by becoming the World Junior champion, throwing 17.73 m.

She participated in the 2002 Commonwealth Games where her throw of 17.45 m won her the silver medal, inspiring her to do even better in the future events. She also participated at the 2003 World Championships at the age of 18 where she finished fifth.

She was eagerly looking forward to her first Olympics in 2004, but unfortunately had to have an appendectomy just weeks before the competition. Still she took part and finished seventh.

She finished second at the World Athletics Final in 2005, losing the gold to Nadzeya Ostapchuk. Later on Ostapchuk’s drug test sample from that event was retested and found to be positive, and thus her results were annulled and Valarie was promoted to gold.

She had a great year in 2006 when she won the gold medal in the Commonwealth Games where she broke the 20-year-old Commonwealth Games record of 19.00 m with a throw of 19.66 m.

She was named New Zealand's Sportswoman of the Year for seven consecutive years, from 2006-2012.

She was bestowed with the Halberg Supreme Award in 2007, 2008, and 2009 in recognition of her astonishing sporting achievements.

The ‘Track & Field News’ magazine presented to her the Women’s Track & Field Athlete of the Year in 2012 and 2013.