📍Māngere, Auckland, New Zealand
1984 – 2002“Valerie Adams was born in Rotorua in 1984 to Lilika Ngauamo, from Tonga, and Sydney Adams, an Englishman who had many children. Her parents separated when she was small, and she moved with her mother and siblings to Māngere, in South Auckland, a working-class, largely Pasifika community near the airport. The family was close and religious, and Tongan language, food, church and family gatherings were at the heart of Valerie's childhood. She grew tall early, towering over her classmates, and was teased for it, which made her shy. Sport changed that. At Southern Cross Campus in Māngere she tried athletics, and when she was fourteen she met the former javelin thrower Kirsten Hellier, who became her coach and saw her potential in the shot put. Her mother supported her training, but she was very ill with cancer, and Valerie often stayed home to care for her. When Valerie was fifteen, her mother passed away. Afterwards, Kirsten took her into her own home for a year, and training became her way of carrying her mother's love forward. Within a few years Valerie was a world junior champion, and she went on to win Olympic gold in 2008 and 2012, four world titles and medals across two decades, becoming one of the greatest shot-putters in history. Her younger half-brother, Steven Adams, became an NBA basketball player. She has always spoken proudly of Māngere and of her Tongan heritage, and the community that raised her celebrates her as one of its own.”
🗺️ Approximate location today
📍 Street view today