Qualifying for the Olympics in her first competition in 20 months following the birth of her second child “means everything” to Dame Valerie Adams, who hopes she can be an inspiration as a mother-athlete.
The two-time Olympic gold medallist has been out of action for almost two years after giving birth to her second child, a son Kepaleli Tava Sidney, in March last year.
But it took her just two throws at the Allan and Sylvia Potts Memorial Classic in Hawke's Bay today to qualify for Tokyo.
Booking a spot in Tokyo 20 months after giving birth to her second child means all the hard work has paid off for the two-time Olympic champion.
A second throw of 18.55m booked Dame Adams a berth at a fifth Olympic games.
“It means everything, it means the hard work has paid off,” she said.
“It’s awesome to be able to come and achieve your goals, today was a, qualify for Nanjing (world indoor championships), b, qualify for Tokyo and have fun doing so, I really enjoyed competing today."
As an Olympian and mother of two, Dame Adams was hoping to inspire other women across New Zealand.
“Women can do anything, hopefully I can inspire female athletes out there who want to have kids, do it, because you can still come back and be an Olympic athlete.
“Since doing athletics I know I had a duty to not only myself and my family but the rest of New Zealand, I hope by the end of my career I can inspire more than one person to be the best they can be, whether that’s to be an athlete, to be a mum, to be anything.
“Everyone has the capability to do it, it’s just a matter of having that ‘I can do it’ attitude.”
Having a family means Adams’ preparation was now very different – and more balanced - compared with previous Olympic campaigns, including the silver medal-winning performance in Rio.
“I’ve now got two kids, you know my team is a lot bigger now and I have to consider a lot more than just myself,” she said.
“I have a great support network around me which enables me to do this, the best thing about having kids is there a great balance in my life and I think that’s come at the right time.”
“Whereas before it was 24/7 athletics, even my days off, whereas now I really enjoy and love being at training.”
Dame Adams next big target in the build-up to Tokyo is the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing in March where she was looking forward to being put under pressure by international opposition.
“There are a few technical things I can definitely improve on but it’s one of those things where I needed to get today out of my brain and out of my system and keep rebuilding,” she said.
SHARE ME