WELLINGTON, March 1, 2022 (BSS/AFP) - New Zealand's two-time Olympic shot

put champion Valerie Adams announced her retirement Tuesday after a stellar
career that saw her dominate the sport for long periods.

   The towering 37-year old was unbeatable at her peak, winning a record 56
straight international competitions between 2010 and 2014.

   She claimed gold at the Beijing and London Games, earning silver in Rio
and bronze in Tokyo last year.

   Adams also won four world championships, four world indoor titles and
three Commonwealth Games golds.

   She said retirement seemed the right option after Tokyo.

   "My heart, mind and body simply answered the question for me, so it is
time for me to call it a day," she said.

   Standing 193 centimetres (6ft 4in) tall and weighing 120 kilograms (265lb,
18st 13lb), Adams towered over her opponents.

   She credits her extraordinary physique to her late parents.

   Mother Lilika Ngauamo was from the Pacific island of Tonga, renowned for
its powerful rugby players.

   Father Sid was an English ex-Royal Navy sailor who stood almost seven foot
(2.13 metres) tall and had 18 children with five women after settling in New
Zealand.

   The youngest of the brood is basketball star Steven Adams, another seven-
footer and hulking centre now playing basketball with the Memphis Grizzlies
in the NBA.