Public welcome at throwing event with Valerie Adams

Public welcome at throwing event with Valerie Adams

This Saturday, world champion and Olympic gold medallist Valerie Adams will join other well-known shot put, discus and hammer throwers at a day-long public event in Lower Hutt.

The event, which is free, will showcase national as well as local talent and highlight Lower Hutt’s Sola Power Throwing Academy.

The event's theme of ‘The past vs the future’ will pit current athletes/champions against past athletes and showcase some of New Zealand’s best throwing.

Mayor Ray Wallace will open the event. He says, “Sola Power Throwing Academy is well-known locally so it’s fantastic to have such high-profile athletes visit Lower Hutt in support of a great, local sporting organisation.”

Organiser Shaka Sola says, “This event will be all about showing off some of our best current and former athletes and will make for a great day out for sports fans and families.

“We’ll get our younger (7-12 year old) academy athletes in on the action too because they’re the future of our sport.”

Current athletes attending:

• Valerie Adams: four-time World champion, three time World Indoor champion and two-time Olympic and three-time Commonwealth champion

• Siosetina Hakeai: New Zealand number one discus thrower, represented New Zealand at The Commonwealth Games in Glasgow

• Terina Keenan: New Zealand number two shot put thrower and New Zealand number two discus thrower

• Matt Bloxham: New Zealand Junior and youth record holder for hammer

• Phil Jensen: current New Zealand senior men's champion for hammer

• Nicole Bradley: New Zealand number one hammer thrower

• Ben Power: double gold medallist at New Zealand Nationals for junior shot put and discus - and a local athlete, and

• Montaya Wharehinga: New Zealand Secondary Schools champion for hammer, third in hammer at Oceania Games - and a local athlete.

Past athletes

• Henry Smith: former New Zealand shot put champion and Samoan Olympian

• Chris Mene: former Samoan Olympian and New Zealand discus champion -still holds the secondary school record

• Richard Thompson: former New Zealand shot put, triple jump and high Jump champion

• Tasha Williams: former New Zealand hammer champion

• Faleone Seve: former Samoan Commonwealth Games competitor, still holds junior records for Wellington

• Ryan Tinkle: former junior record holder, second to Phil Jensen in New Zealand Nationals, and

• Shaka Sola: former New Zealand champion in shot put and discus, plus former Samoan Olympian, Samoan record holder for shot put and discus and former Commonwealth Games competitor.

Sola Power Throwing Academy event
Saturday 24 January 2015
10.30am until 5pm (Valerie Adams will be there from 10.30am until 1pm)

Cnr of Randwick Road and Whites Line East (the old "Pony Paddock")

Public parking is available at Woburn Station, Awamutu, Moera Hall and playground and Whites Line West.

Hutt City Council and Hirepool are the major sponsors of this event.

ENDS

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