New Zealand's Valerie Adams unleashed a season's best throw
at the Continental Cup athletics meet in Split, Croatia this
morning (NZT) to beat Belarussian shotput arch rival Nadzeya
Ostapchuk for the first time in nine encounters this year.
Ostapchuk was on a 12-meet winning streak coming into Split
to arguably be the most dominant female athlete on the
athletics circuit in 2010.
But world and Olympic champion Adams, who set her Oceania
record of 21.07m in her final competition of 2009, once again
left her best throw of the year until September.
Adams made her intentions clear when she opened with a
season's best of 20.70m.
The New Zealander increased the pressure with another
season's best of 20.86m -- a mark Ostapchuk has only once
surpassed outdoors this year - and followed it with
consistent efforts of 20.76m and 20.56m.
The Belarussian managed a best of 20.18m in round three.
before fouling out with her final throw. China's Gong Lijiao
was third in 20.13m.
Adams' longest throw was the second best ever at an IAAF
World Cup and was within 12cm of the oldest women's record in
World Cup records set in 1979 by Ilona Briesenick.
Adams said showing patience with her new speed-based
technique was starting to pay off.
"Just having the patience with each throw will bring a lot
on," said Adams, who has been working recently with Swiss
shot put legend Werner Gunthor.
"Today was a good flow, I felt really good, felt strong, felt
fast and it was just bound to happen, I knew that I had the
potential of throwing 20.50m, but it was just a matter of
doing it.
"I was very ecstatic; I was able to pull through all four
throws over 20.50m and could have won it on all four. I've
got so much more to improve on and looking forward to next
time I'm out there."
Earlier, in the women's 1500m, New Zealand's Niki Hamblin was
sixth behind French winner Hind Dehiba in four minutes 22.45
seconds.
It came 24 hours after Hamblin ran her best time over 800m,
where she placed seventh in 1min 59.66sec, about 1.5sec
outside Toni Hodgkinson's national record.
New Zealander Adrian Blincoe was sixth in the men's 3000m in
7min 57.67sec.
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