Double Olympic shot put champion Valerie Adams arrived at Auckland International Airport to a welcoming crowd of 100 family, fans and supporters.
“I can’t wait to get home,” she said en route to Auckland.
Adams is set to receive her gold Olympic medal from Governor-General Sir Jerry Mateparae at a ceremony to be held at The Cloud tonight in front of a crowd of about 2500 ticketholders. The ceremony will also be broadcast live on television as well as live streaming on the ANZ facebook page.
Along with her family and fans, fourteen of her Olympic team members and members of the Tongan Royal family are expected to attend to witness Valerie receive her long awaited gold.
“This is the very first time an Olympic gold medal will be presented in New Zealand and is an incredible opportunity for Kiwis to be proud and get involved,” said the New Zealand Olympic Committee’s secretary-general, Kereyn Smith
Following the ceremony a fireworks display will go off simultaneously at 7:25pm across Auckland and Wellington harbour.
Adams was robbed of her gold medal at the Olympics earlier this year by her rival Belarusian shot putter Ostapchuk who had the medal stripped after testing positive for steroids. Since then, her coach has come forward to claim responsibility.
Image Source: Lawrence Smith/ Fairfax NZ
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