Athletics: Teen sensation Gill beats Valerie Adams

Boy met girl in a unique heavyweight shot put showdown today.

The 17-year-old junior world shot put champion Jacko Gill threw against triple women's world champion Valerie Adams, with Gill prevailing at the International Track Meet in Christchurch today.

There were 18 events on the programme but the 2000-strong crowd had come to see one event and two people in it.

The focus went on the two big guns, Gill versus Adams, to see who would reign between the two Olympic hopefuls.

Although it was a relaxed setting at Christ College, with Adams insisting the crowd was allowed to swarm the surrounds of the shot put ring, it was all business in the ring.

Gill, throwing the under-19 6kg shot, cleared 20m with his first three throws but was red-flagged for a foot violation on each occasion by a watchful judge. Gill's response was an awkward stare at the judge's red flag.

Adams, using the 4kg shot, took the lead with her first throw of 19.54m.

The crowd had shown a respectful hush before each throw until Adams egged them on before her fifth throw and she she delivered, booming her biggest throw - a 20.35m.

With only one legal throw to his name, Gill returned fire with a 21.01m but the biggest cheer went up when the white flag was raised. However, Gill saved his best until last heaving a 22.06m on the last throw of the competition to seal the win.

Still a teenager, avoiding defeat at the hands of a girl, albeit a world champion, was a pleasing result for Gill.

"Definitely guys never like to lose to girls, so it was good to beat her,'' Gill said.

The hulking 17-year-old was happy with his winning throw but questioned the red flags.

"Apparently I was clipping my foot on the rim during the spin and the umpire can only call what he sees but we will be checking the video.''

Gill had earlier won the discus with a throw of 60.44m into the teeth of an easterly. He then wandered down to the shot put ring and casually threw past the 20m mark with his first warm-up. He opted for the under-19 weight of 6kg rather than the Olympic 7kg.

"My first focus is the junior worlds in Barcelona where I'll throw the 6kg and then I'll switch to the 7kg to prepare for the Olympics,'' Gill said.

Adams had to settle for second but was happy enough with the start to her Olympic title defence.

"It was my first competition of the season so I was a bit rusty but to land over 20 metres was a good start,' she said. "My goal was to get some good throws in but also to come down and show support to the people of Christchurch. It was just great to see a big crowd getting up close and getting in behind us.''

With the shot put showdown settled, the focus turned to another Olympic hopeful with Nick Willis contesting the feature track race, harking back to the old days of grass racing and mile measurements.

In the two mile handicap, Willis was again pipped by American training partner Will Leer, who had defeated him recently at Wanganui.

Leer owed the win to his parents. He won in Wanganui on his father's birthday so needed to win in Christchurch on his mother's birthday to keep everything equal.

Fellow Olympic hopeful Nikki Hamblin was forced to withdraw from the event with a recurring Achilles injury.