Tongan/New Zealander Dame Valerie Adams is one of the world’s most celebrated athletes, but this candid inspirational documentary also reveals a mother, a daughter, a sister, and a survivor.
At a time when sportswomen globally are struggling with pressures beyond the field of play, five-time Olympian, double Olympic gold medalist Dame Valerie is a beacon of hope. Competing at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games required all the shotputter’s determination and courage. At 36, following two major surgeries and the birth of her children, she was considered an ‘older’ athlete.
Woven around observational scenes of Dame Valerie’s journey to Tokyo, is her astonishing backstory. Over the course of 25 years Valerie has conquered adversity time and time again. She was bullied at school. She competed barefoot at her first shotput competition because she couldn’t afford shoes. At just 15 she nursed her dying mother while watching the Sydney 2000 Olympics on TV…the moment that inspired her Olympic dream.
In NZ cinemas from 20 October.
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How tall was Dame Valerie aged 12 at primary school?
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