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Valerie Vili from New Zealand won the gold medal in the final of the Women’s Shot Put. Her very first throw in the final was the one that won her the title.
The New Zealander consistently marked at least 20 meters on each attempt in the final on Saturday night, a far better record than any other competitor on the field. Valerie 20.56m throw put her ahead of silver medalist Natallia Mikhnevich of Belarus, whose best put was 20.28m. Another Belarusian Nadzeya Ostapchuk secured the bronze with 19.86m.
Vili became the first New Zealand Athletic gold medal winner since John walker, who won 1500m at the Montreal 1976 Games.
An injured Ostapchuk secured bronze in her fifth throw, but it was still under the 20m mark she was aiming for. An injured leg hindered her performance, but she was happy with her feat.
