Coaching elite give tips

Northland's athletes and coaches watched one of the world's top field events coaches in action at Kensington Park over the weekend.
Kirsten Hellier, who coached Valerie Adams to World, Olympic and Commonwealth Games gold medals in the shot put, accepted an invitation from Ian Babe, President of LJ Hooker Athletics Whangarei, to come to Whangarei for a coaching weekend.
Since ending her role with Adams, Hellier has been contracted by the Chinese Athletic Association to work with one of the China's most promising shot putters.
Before becoming a coach, Hellier was a star athlete herself, winning silver in the javelin at the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Canada and nine golds at NZ championships, as well as breaking the NZ women's javelin record - which she still holds.
Mrs Hellier is keen to pass on her considerable knowledge.
"I enjoy coaching full stop, whether it's here, Uzbekistan, China, wherever - I just enjoy coaching," she said.
The presence and contributions over the weekend of star shot putter Li Ling, 26, her training partner Liu Yang, 25, and Pat Hellier, Kirsten's husband - were an added bonus.
Li Ling is the Asian Games women's shot-put gold medallist, but ranked second in China, with a personal best of 19.94m - only 0.28m behind China's top woman and 0.33m behind Valerie Adam's best this year.
However Adams, PB is 21.07m and - she is a tough competitor, Hellier says. Li Ling, herself, avoided being drawn into predictions about her prospects of facing Adams. "I compete against myself," she said. Another of Hellier's charges is Liu Yang, 25, ranked in the top six men in the shot put in China, with a PB of 18.40m - achieved just 10 days ago. Hellier is trying to get him to 20.20m - the qualifying mark for the World Games.
Both athletes are enjoying being in New Zealand.
"People are very patient and friendly and made us welcome," Li Ling said.
Li Ling and Liu Yang will stay with the Helliers until May and compete in the New Zealand Track and Field Championships at the end of March, in Dunedin. After returning to China for more competition, Li Ling will be off to the World Track and Field Championships in Korea, in August, while Liu Yang will try to meet the qualifying standard.
Pat Hellier, a former member of Athletics Whangarei - "born in Whangarei Hospital and bred in Kamo" - is an exceptional athlete in his own right. He won golds in the New Zealand championships for the shot, discus and hammer between 1991 and 2009 "11 or 13 of them, I can't quite remember," he said.
Mr Hellier is even better known in Northland as the Waipu Scottish Highland Games' strongman, after winning his fifteenth NZ Scottish Heavyweight Events Championship in a row.
So far he hasn't been able to join Mrs Hellier in China and lives in Pakuranga with the couple's children, while working as a community constable in Howick, but a family trip to China is planned. In the meantime, Mr Hellier is coaching at the Pakuranga Athletics Club.
The Helliers believe there is plenty of talent in Northland, but "it's a matter of putting the talent and coaches together at the same time," Kristen Hellier said.