Olympics: Sorry, sis... Vili relative dozes off

Valerie Vili acknowledges her supporters after winning the Gold medal. Photo / Kenny Rodger

For one relative waiting up to watch Valerie Vili, there was never any doubt the champion shotputter was going to bring home the gold.

Which is just as well, because after hours of build-up on the couch at his Rotorua home, Nikora Mahima fell asleep for his sister-in-law's Olympic final.

It was a "bugger of a time" to drift off as one of New Zealand's greatest track and field moments played out.

"I was up watching all night. But I missed her, I missed the All Blacks. But we knew before she left it was hers," Mr Mahina said.

He also missed Vili's joyous celebrations, racing to the stands to hug her coach Kirsten Hellier and his daughter Amco, 17, who is supporting her aunt with her mum Vivian, Vili's 42-year-old sister, at the Games.

Mr Mahima woke at 5am and was frantically flipping through channels to catch the news. Finding nothing, he headed to whanau hotpools where people told him about Vili's success.

Vili's 17-year-old sibling Lisa Adams, who also lives in Rotorua up the road from Vivian, was also camped out in her lounge. But missing from watching the spectacle was dad Sidney, who died of stomach cancer last year.

Vili's achievements are testament to the type of person she is, Lisa Adams said. "She's a strong woman. We all lost our dad last year. He would have been proud of her."

Vili dominated the competition right from her first throw of 20.56m, a mark none of her competitors, including Belarussians Natallia Mikhnevich and highly rated Nadzeya Ostapchuk, could overhaul.

Mikhnevich took silver with 20.28m and Ostapchuk threw 19.86m for bronze. Vili was so good she didn't need to throw her last shot put.

"I saw her first throw. That was a PB, that was pretty good," Lisa Adams said.

"I was thinking she was going to win, I just wasn't saying it. I didn't want to jinx it."