The world and Olympic shot put champion will be defending the longest winning streak in world athletics, a string of victories stretching back over five years and 56 meetings, as she returns to competition at the Stade de France following serious elbow and shoulder operations 10 months ago.<\/p>\n
Despite a few post-surgery doubts, the New Zealander is determined to keep her winning sequence going and sent a defiant message to this year\u2019s world leader, Christina Schwanitz, one of three athletes who have thrown beyond 20 metres this season.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to put pressure on myself,\u201d said Adams. \u201cIt should be a fun competition here \u2013 the weather\u2019s great, the crowd in Paris is always very good, so I\u2019m looking forward to it.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut of course the objective is to win. It\u2019s great to see that the standard of women\u2019s shot putting has gone up, it\u2019s great for the event going forward because the level\u2019s not been too flash in recent years. It\u2019s great that we now we get to push each other.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs for Christina, she\u2019s throwing very well this year but she\u2019s not come up against me yet. The competition is not over till it\u2019s over.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked whether she was concerned about getting back to full fitness following the surgery, Adams said: \u201cWell, they moved a nerve in my throwing arm and took some bone out of my shoulder. I couldn\u2019t throw a tennis ball after the surgery \u2013 that was scary. Now, 10 months down the line, I\u2019m all good, but it does play on your mind a bit.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter major surgery any athlete will wonder if they can come back. It was my right hand, my throwing hand, the most important bit of my body, so it does give you doubts.\u201d<\/p>\n
With Schwanitz\u2019s world lead at 20.77m, Adams admitted she has \u201ca mark in mind\u201d for tomorrow\u2019s meeting, but added: \u201cIt\u2019s not something I\u2019m going to tell anyone else. I\u2019m just going to do the best I can. My objective is to win and continue my winning streak.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut to be honest, it\u2019s almost like a lottery tomorrow. I will just do the best I can then see what happens. I\u2019ve had a very good run, but tomorrow is out of my control.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is late in the season for me to start, but after the surgery it is the right time. I feel like I\u2019m ready to start competing now.<\/p>\n
\u201cTomorrow will be a very big day for me. Training has been going pretty well but I really don\u2019t know what\u2019s going to happen. We\u2019ll see who steps up.<\/p>\n
\u201cI still have the competitive edge but it\u2019s a very long time since I\u2019ve competed so I\u2019ll be interested to see what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adams described being named athlete of the year alongside French pole vaulter Renaud Lavillenie last November as \u201cthe icing on the cake for 2014\u201d, but insisted it had not affected her appetite for competition.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was fantastic for me, and also the first time two field eventers have won athlete of the year, which was great. I felt like I was representing all throwers.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut that was last year. I try not to think about it now. I have to take things at my own pace. Winning a Diamond League event is important but it\u2019s not the most important meeting of the season, that\u2019s the World Championships.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adams will be seeking her fifth straight world title in Beijing this August, and has already set her sights on a third Olympic gold in Rio next summer. But she admitted that pushing her ailing body to its limits is becoming harder each season and she may not continue beyond 2016.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe biggest goal is Rio then I\u2019ll re-assess beyond that,\u201d she said. \u201cMy dream is to get to the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games [in 2018] and retire after that. Obviously, that\u2019s just a hop, skip and jump from New Zealand so it would be fantastic to be there.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut the body might give up before the mind. I\u2019ll keep pushing forward till the body says no more. I\u2019m still enjoying what I do, I still have a smile on my face, and that\u2019s half the battle.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
Matthew Brown for the IAAF and the IAAF Diamond League<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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