Val coasts into shot put final

Val Adams wasted no time in stamping her authority on the women’s shot put field today.

Adams, who won the Olympic shot put in 2008 and 2012 and is the favourite for gold again in Rio, needed only one qualifying throw.

Her 19.74m effort was not only 1.34m further than the qualifying distance but it made her the No 1 qualifier by a considerable margin.

Behind her were two of her closest rivals, German Christina Schwanitz on 19.18m and American Michelle Carter on 19.01m.

Adams’ one throw looked strong and confident and she will certainly be dominating the thoughts of her opponents going into the final in the evening session.

The 31-year-old is not only a double Olympic champion, but also a four-time world outdoor champion.