| Rank | Event | Year | Location | Result |
| Olympic Games | ||||
| 1 | Shot Put | 2008 | Beijing, CHN | 20.56 |
| 8 | Shot Put | 2004 | Athens, GRE | 18.56 |
| World Championships | ||||
| 1 | Shot Put | 2011 | Daegu, KOR | 21.24 |
| 1 | Shot Put | 2009 | Berlin, GER | 20.44 |
| 1 | Shot Put | 2007 | Osaka, JPN | 20.54 |
| 3 | Shot Put | 2005 | Helsinki, FIN | 19.62 |
| Diamond League | ||||
| 1 | Shot Put | 2012 | New York, NY, USA | 20.60 |
| 1 | Shot Put | 2012 | Rome, ITA | 21.03 |
| 1 | Shot Put | 2011 | Zurich, SUI | 20.51 |
| 1 | Shot Put | 2011 | London, GBR | 20.07 |
| 1 | Shot Put | 2011 | Stockholm, SWE | 20.57 |
| 1 | Shot Put | 2011 | Paris Saint-Denis, FRA | 20.78 |
| 1 | Shot Put | 2011 | Oslo, NOR | 20.26 |
| 1 | Shot Put | 2010 | New York, NY, USA | 19.93 |
| 2 | Shot Put | 2010 | Zurich, SUI | 20.02 |
| 2 | Shot Put | 2010 | London, GBR | 19.83 |
| 2 | Shot Put | 2010 | Monaco, MON | 20.20 |
| 2 | Shot Put | 2010 | Paris Saint-Denis, FRA | 20.13 |
| 2 | Shot Put | 2010 | Gateshead, GBR | 20.06 |
| 2 | Shot Put | 2010 | Shanghai, CHN | 19.72 |
| World Challenge | ||||
| 1 | Shot Put | 2011 | Melbourne, VIC, AUS | 20.13 |
| 1 | Shot Put | 2010 | Melbourne, VIC, AUS | 20.05 |
| Grand Prix | ||||
| 1 | Shot Put | 2009 | Belem, BRA | 20.25 |
| 1 | Shot Put | 2009 | Melbourne, VIC, AUS | 19.36 |
| World Indoor Championships | ||||
| 1 | Shot Put | 2012 | Istanbul, TUR | 20.54 |
| 2 | Shot Put | 2010 | Doha, QAT | 20.49 |
Hobbies
Going out and gardening. (NZ Herald, 15 Jul 2006)
Occupation
Athlete, Sports Administrator
Education
Administration Studies - Manukau Institute of Technology , Auckland, NZL
Language(s) spoken
English
Club name
Pakuranga, Auckland, NZL
Coach
Jean-Pierre Agger (tvnz.co.nz, 03 Feb 2012)
Other sports
Her half-brother Steven Adams signed to the Pittsburgh Panthers basketball team and has previously been selected for the New Zealand national team. (stuff.co.nz, 11 Aug 2011; pittsburghpanthers.com, 2012)
Injuries
In early 2007 she underwent a shoulder operation for a bone disorder known as osteolysis. (NZ Herald, 27 Aug 2007)
She had an operation for appendicitis just a month before the 2004 Olympic Games. (christchurch.org.nz, 06 Sep 2007)
Additional information
Start of sporting career
She first began competing in athletics at the age of 14 after taking part in a school competition. (IAAF, 13 Dec 2002; christchurchcitylibraries.com, 10 Oct 2010)
Reason for taking up this sport
Her natural talent was spotted by her physical education teacher. (manukau.ac.nz, 12 Jun 2002)
Ambitions
To win gold at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. (stuff.co.nz, 04 Dec 2011)
Hero
Shot putter Werner Gunthor. (iaaf.org, 03 Sep 2010)
Most influential person in career
Her mother. (NOC, 06 Sep 2007)
Sporting philosophy / motto
"If it was easy, everyone would be doing it." (IAAF, 13 Dec 2002)
Awards
In 2012 she won her sixth straight Halberg Sportswoman of the Year award. (stuff.co.nz, 14 Feb 2012)
In August 2009, she won her second successive shot put world title at the World Championships in Berlin. The result made her only the third woman in history to win multiple world shot put titles. (nzherald.co.nz, 17 Aug 2009)
Won the Supreme Halberg Award in 2007 and 2008, the most prestigious New Zealand sports award. Has also won the 2008, 2007 and 2006 Halberg Sportswoman of the Year, an award which salutes outstanding achievement by New Zealanders in sport both at home and abroad. (Radio New Zealand, 04 Feb 2009)
The New Zealand Olympic Committee awarded her the Lonsdale Cup as its most outstanding athlete of the year in 2006 and 2007. (NZOC, 21 Jun 2007)
Athletics New Zealand named her its Athlete of the Year in 2006. (Athletics New Zealand, 06 Sep 2007)
Named as New Zealand's Young Sportswoman of the Year in 2001. (collegesport.co.nz, 05 Apr 2002)
General
NEW COACH
In April 2010 she parted ways with coach Kirsten Hellier who had mentored her since she was 14. She said she needed 'new input' to continue her winning ways. (nzherald.co.nz, 20 Aug 2010)
DEDICATION
She dedicated her gold medal at the 2007 World Championships to her parents. Her mother died from cancer when she was 14 and her father died in May 2007, just months before her triumph in Osaka. She helped care for her father in his final months and used his memory as inspiration before her decisive final throw. (TV One New Zealand, 20 Aug 2007; IAAF, 30 Aug 2007)
LAST THROW IN OSAKA
Needing a big final throw to overtake Belarussian Nadzeya Ostapchuk's leading mark of 20.04m at the 2007 World Championships, she threw 20.54m to take the gold medal. "My coach said to me before I went out to my last throw to do this one for dad, and I looked up to the sky and all I could think about was getting to the middle and smacking the crap out of it, and to walk away with a world title, national and Oceania record - can't ask for more than that." (time-to-run.com, 31 Aug 2007)
GOOD COMPANY
Her victory at the 2007 World Championships meant she became only the third woman to win a world title at youth, junior and senior level, joining Australia's Jana Rawlinson and Russia's Yelena Isinbayeva in achieving the feat. The day after she won her gold medal, Jamaica's Veronica Campbell-Brown also completed the rare hat-trick by taking gold in the 100m. (IAAF, 28 Aug 2007)
SILVER FERN
She has a silver fern tattooed on her left ankle. (NZ Herald, 15 Jul 2006)
FAMILY
She says her height comes from her father, who originated from England, and her strength from her mother who was from Tonga. (IAAF, 13 Dec 2002)
Previous Olympics
Beijing 2008, Athens 2004
