Question 1

True or false: Valerie Adams is the younger sister of NBA player Steven Adams.

Accepted Answer

True. Yes, she is the older half-sister of Steven Adams, though she is often mistakenly thought of as the younger one.

Question 2

True or false: She was originally a basketball player before switching to shot put.

Accepted Answer

True. Adams played basketball for New Zealand at the 2000 Olympics before her coach convinced her to focus on shot put.

Question 3

True or false: Valerie Adams has won five Olympic gold medals in the shot put.

Accepted Answer

False. She has two golds (2008, 2012) and one bronze (2016), not five. She is dominant but not that dominant.

Question 4

True or false: Valerie Adams has never lost a shot put final at the Commonwealth Games.

Accepted Answer

True. She won gold at four consecutive Commonwealth Games (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018), an unbeaten streak.

Question 5

True or false: Her full name is Valerie Kasanita Adams, reflecting her Tongan heritage.

Accepted Answer

True. Her middle name Kasanita comes from her Tongan mother, and she often honors her Pacific Island roots.

Question 6

True or false: She was knighted in 2020 for services to athletics.

Accepted Answer

False. She was made a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2017, not knighted.

Question 7

True or false: She retired undefeated in all major championships after 2012.

Accepted Answer

False. She lost at the 2013 World Championships due to injury and later faced defeats, though she dominated for years.

Question 8

True or false: Adams won her first Olympic medal at age 19 in Sydney 2000.

Accepted Answer

False. She competed in basketball in 2000, but her first Olympic shot put medal was gold in 2008 at age 23.

Valerie Adams Trivia Questions