Women’s Shot Put - PREVIEW

The giant New Zealander Valerie Adams will be full of confidence she can emulate German great Astrid Kumbernuss and secure a hat-trick of World Women’s shot put titles after enjoying a hitherto perfect year.

Adams, who struggled to find her best form in 2010, is back to her imperious best this season with four wins out of four in the Samsung Diamond League.

The Kiwi, who had to play second fiddle to her long-time rival Nadzeya Ostapchuk for most of last season, responded to the challenge by changing coaches and has teamed up with Jean-Pierre Egger and three-time former World men’s Shot Put champion Werner Gunthor to guide her.

She has moved to live and train for much of the year in Switzerland and the switch has clearly invigorated the 26-year-old.

She produced a season’s best 20.78m to win in Paris and has, significantly, defeated Ostapchuk her chief rival on all four occasions they have clashed.

The Belarus athlete, though, will be no pushover. Now aged 30 the 2005 World champion boasts the world’s longest throw with 20.94m in Zhukovsky and is capable of regaining her title if she can rediscover her very best form.

While the expected battle for gold is between Ostapchuk and Adams several other names will hold podium ambitions. At the age of 29 Jillian Camarena-Williams set a lifetime best and Area Record of 20.18m to finish third in Paris and she will hope to back up that performance in Korea.

Camarena-Williams, who finished sixth at the 2010 World Indoor Championships, is clearly in the form of her life and will hope to be the first US athlete to ever claim a World Championship medal in the women’s shot.

Also aiming for the same goal will be Michelle Carter, who set a personal best of 19.86m when winning the US title in June ahead of Camarena-Williams. On the evidence of that display she is capable of improving upon her sixth place finish at the 2009 edition of the World Championships in Berlin.

China are often heavyweight performers in this event and this year is no different. Gong Lijiao landed a 2009 World bronze medal in Berlin and a season’s best of 20.11m achieved in Nanchang suggests a repeat performance is not beyond her.

Gong has competed sparingly on the European circuit but did place third in Oslo.

Interestingly, her compatriot Li Ling is guided by Adams’ former coach Kirsten Hellier. Li, who placed fourth in the 2007 World Championships, is not without chances as shown by season’s best of 19.72m in Kunshan, although all her competitions in 2011 have been exclusively in her homeland and she has yet to appear on the international circuit.

The best of the rest in this year’s world lists is Trinidad & Tobago’s Cleopatra Borel-Brown who set a national record 19.42m in Paris. The 31-year-old has since gone on to win the Central American and Caribbean title and will be relishing the prospect of performing on the global stage.

German Nadine Kleinert is a three-time former World silver medallist and earned second place on the podium in the last edition in Berlin. However, the 35-year-old veteran looks short of her very best form and has a season’s best 19.22m in Gotha.

Her countrywoman Christina Schwanitz won European Indoor silver in March and with a 2011 best of 19.14m will have designs on a top eight spot.

Russia’s Yevgeniya Kolodko looks one for the future after landing the Russian title with a personal best 19.33m. The 21-year-old also secured gold at the European Under-23 Championships in Ostrava and it will interesting to see how she fares on her World Championships debut. Supporting her on the Russian team will be European Indoor champion Anna Avdeeva (19.17m) and Anna Omarova (19.23m), the Olympic sixth placer.

Cuba also have two throwers beyond 19m this season: Mailin Vargas (19.13m) and Misleydis Gonzalez (19.04) and both will be hope to make an impact.

Steve Landells for the IAAF