Do we like Dame Valerie Adams?
Our score: 8 out of 10. A decent record, a public vaccine push and years spent mentoring others, but the record on LGBTQ+ issues is silent, so we can't call it a perfect ten.
Adams lost her mother when she was 15, and she has described herself as shy and reluctant in her early years. She was still a teenager when she won the world under-18 and under-20 titles, and she took Commonwealth silver at 17. That start sets up the rest of her story: a kid with a lot to carry who made a career out of it.
The trophy cabinet is silly. She won Olympic gold in Beijing and London, silver in Rio and bronze in Tokyo, which made her the first woman to win four Olympic medals in one field event. Add eight world titles, four outdoor and four indoor, and she retired in 2022 joking about hanging up her “size 14 throwing shoes”.
The only real stoush on file was in 2012, when rival Nadzeya Ostapchuk accused Adams of steroid use in 2005. The Otago Daily Times reported that the story fell apart: a missing start-list entry was an administrative error, and Adams's manager said legal advice called the claims far-fetched. She chose not to sue, and the paper noted she has never failed a drug test.
On the harm check, she comes up clean. In 2021 she got her Covid jab publicly to encourage Pacific communities, saying she had “a responsibility”. She also said people should get information from the right sources. In 2022 some online critics were sniffy about her TikTok of a Tongan horse-meat dish, and she answered by pointing to her heritage. Honestly, I found nothing from her on trans or LGBTQ+ issues either way, and nothing on climate, so that's a gap rather than a pass on those.
The recent news is a victory lap. She was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame alongside Richie McCaw, and said athletics gave her a platform to inspire and uplift others. She also hosted a three-day development camp for young Pacific athletes ahead of the Polynesian Games, covering safeguarding, mental skills and coaching.
Her best work is off the track. She was elected chair of the World Athletics Athletes' Commission in 2023, promising a positive and empowering environment for athletes. In 2026 she said women need opportunities and allies, and that “There are so many Valerie Adams' out there.” They just need to be given the opportunity, help and support.