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Valerie Vili celebrates her World Championship gold medal - Source: Reuters -
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New Zealand's Valerie Vili starts as a short priced favourite in the women's shot put at the World Athletics Final in Greece on Monday.
Vili has dominated the talk leading into the event at Thessaloniki as much as she has dominated her rivals this year.
The 24-year-old underlined her superiority when winning her second successive world championships title in Germany last month when she posted a best throw of 20.44m to win by 24cm.
The world leader at 20.69m this year, Vili has produced 10 of the year's best 11 throws.
She is unbeaten in 12 competitions in 2009, extending her unbeaten streak to 24.
Toughest competition
The toughest competition for the reigning Olympic champion is expected to come from German Nadine Kleinert, who was second in Berlin with a career-best effort of 20.20m.
Natallia Mikhnevich of Belarus, fourth in Berlin, could play the spoiler's role as well.
The World Athletics Final winner in 2006, Mikhnevich has a best this season of 20.03m.
Another Vili will be wary of as she seeks the winner's purse of $US30,000 ($NZ43,740) is Nadzeya Ostapchuk, of Belarus, who did not compete in Berlin.
Ostapchuk beat Vili at the 2007 World Athletics Final, has a career best of 21.09m and season's best of 19.88m.
