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Valerie Vili - Source: Photosport -
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Olympic champion Valerie Vili squelched her way through a sodden start to her season by winning the shot put at the Black Singlet Invitational athletics meet in Auckland on Friday night.
Vili landed another psychological blow over close rivals Nadzeya Ostapchuk of Belarus, stretching her national residents and allcomers record in gloomy conditions with a best of 20.25m.
Olympic bronze medallist Ostapchuk was the last athlete to deny Vili the top rung on the podium when she won the 2007 World Athletics Final in Stuttgart but since then Vili has reigned supreme.
The second of Vili's six attempts was her best, improving on the 20.20m she recorded at Christchurch in 2006. Ostapchuk's best was 19.11m.
Her winning mark was well below the 20.56m she recorded to win Olympic gold in Beijing last August, no surprise given this is the formative stage of a season where she will strive to break the 21m barrier for the first time.
Atrocious weather conditions were another impediment.
Some events had to be condensed as rain swept over the Douglas Track and Field at Trusts Stadium in Waitakere.
Vili, named the supreme athlete at the Halberg Awards for a second successive year earlier this month, was the obvious drawcard, warm applause greeting her entrance to a saturated infield.
Vili opened with a throw of 19.57m, following Ostapchuk, who fouled her first attempt.
Vili then got into her work, with the record-setting throw delighting a hardy crowd before tapering off.
American Kristin Heaston was third with 17.48m.
"I'm very happy with over 20m. It's my first outing for the season and there's always a lot of pressure on you to try and get out a good performance," Vili said.
"I'm happy to perform on a crappy day for a good crowd and I've been wanting to break that record for a while."
Vili, who been in training since October, made light of the weather.
"I'm not made of brown sugar, I'm pretty solid. It's only water, it's not going to kill you.
"I train in these conditions, you have to perform in these conditions in major championships -- they're not going to postpone it."
The next phase of her season takes places in Sydney next weekend followed by a meet in Melbourne.
She will return to New Zealand for the national championships in Wellington from March 27.
"The next couple of months is pretty busy with the New Zealand and Australian seasons. We're still planning what we're going to do after that," she said.
Vili's teammates in Beijing, former discus world champion Beatrice Faumuina and javelin thrower Stuart Farquhar, also won their events in contrasting style.
Faumuina left her best to last, needing a final hurl of 58.13m to overhaul American Rebecca Breisch.
The duo were engaged in a dogfight from the first of six rounds, and Breisch appeared to have
Faumuina's measure when she recorded 57.43m with her penultimate throw.
However, Faumuina stepped up to break the 58m-barrier to improve on last year's second placing behind
Australian Dani Samuels, who had been expected to defend her title before pulling out. American Aretha Thurmond was third with 54.57m.
Farquhar opened up with a throw of 79.30m that was never threatened over the following six rounds.
Finland's Jarkko Koski-Vahala was second with a distant 70.55m while Australia Josh Robinson (69.84m) took the bronze.
