All you need to know about the NZ athletics team

NZ Herald

21 Apr, 2016 11:00 PM3 mins to read

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VALERIE ADAMS

Birthdate:

6 October, 1984

Hometown:

Auckland

Discipline:

Shot put

Previous Olympics:

Gold, London 2012. Gold, Beijing 2008. 7th, Athens 2004.

Fact: Adams is one of just nine athletes in history to have won world championship titles at youth, junior and senior level competitions.

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STUART FARQUHAR
Birthdate: March 15, 1982
Hometown: Hamilton
Discipline: Javelin
Previous Olympics: 9th, London 2012. 20th, Beijing 2008. 25th, Athens 2004.
Fact: Stuart Farquhar has three kids - Tyler, 9, Mason, 5, Kirra 1.

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JACKO GILL
Birthdate: 20 December, 1994.
Hometown: Auckland
Discipline: Shot put
Previous Olympics: Nil
Fact: At age 15, Gill put together an in-depth proposal to his parents with reasons why he should quit school and focus on his shot put career. They relented and Gill left school at the end of year 11.

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NIKKI HAMBLIN
Birthdate: May 20, 1988.
Hometown: Cambridge
Discipline: 10, 000 metres
Previous Olympics: -
Fact: Hamblin won two silver medals at the Delhi Commonwealth Games, but injuries meant she couldn't go the London Olympics.

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ELIZA MCCARTNEY
Birthdate: 11 December, 1996
Hometown: Auckland
Discipline: Pole vault
Previous Olympics: nil
Fact: McCartney likes to make sure she smiles just before she jumps to bring the fun into what she's doing so she doesn't get overwhelmed by the pressure.

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ANGIE PETTY
Birthdate: 6 August, 1991.
Hometown: Christchurch
Discipline: 800metres
Previous Olympics: -
Fact: Petty is studying to become a teacher at the University of Canterbury.

QUENTIN REW
Birthdate: 16 July, 1984
Hometown: Hastings
Discipline: 20k and 50k race walk
Previous Olympics: 30th, London 2012.
Fact: Rew capped off his first national championship in 2009 by doing a forward roll over the finish line.

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ZANE ROBERTSON
Birthdate: 4 November, 1989
Hometown: Hamilton
Discipline: 10, 000 metres
Previous Olympics: -
Fact: Robertson dies his hair black and is nicknamed "Elvis" hence his Twitter handle @runninelvis

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TOM WALSH
Birthdate: 1 March, 1992.
Hometown: Timaru.
Discipline: Shot put
Previous Olympics -
Fact: Walsh won a six month cricket scholarship to the prestigious Winchester College in the UK. He was an allrounder who played with Black Caps Tom Latham and Corey Anderson.