Valerie Adams, a four-time Olympic shot put medalist, including gold in 2008 and 2012, announced her retirement in her native New Zealand on Tuesday at age 37.
“I’m officially hanging up these size 14 throwing shoes,” an emotional Adams said at a news conference.
Adams followed her Olympic titles in 2008 and 2012 with silver in 2016 behind American Michelle Carter and bronze last year, becoming the first person to win four Olympic shot put medals and the first woman to win four medals in any field event, according to Olympedia.org.
“After winning my bronze medal in Tokyo, I contemplated whether to embark on another campaign,” Adams said. “I took some time to really process this thought and to see if it was something I actually wanted to do again. My heart, mind and body simply answered the question for me, so it is time for me to call it a day.”
She also won four consecutive world titles from 2007-2013 during a stretch where she had an unbeaten streak of 107 consecutive finals spanning eight years.
Adams, born to a Tongan mother and English father, twice returned from childbirth during her career -- after having daughter Kimoana in October 2017 and son Kepalili in 2019.
Adams said she will spend more time with her family and coach her sister, Lisa, who is a Paralympic champion shot putter.
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