16 Sep 2014

Adams faces surgery after non-start

7:05 am on 16 September 2014

New Zealand's champion shot-putter Valerie Adams faces surgery in the off-season after ending her European campaign with an unfortunate non-start in the Continental Cup in Morocco yesterday.

With 56 straight competition wins under her belt, Adams failed to start after a painkiller injection for an ongoing shoulder problem hit a nerve and made the double Olympic champion's hands numb.

Valerie Adams celebrates winning gold at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

Valerie Adams celebrates winning gold at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Photo: REUTERS

Adams has return to her base in Switzerland, but is due home by the end of the month.

Her manager Nick Cowan says they'll now work with her medical team to determine long term strategies and solutions to get back to 100 percent fitness and form.

Adams has been bothered with her shoulder all season and had a similar operation in 2007.

New Zealand's Olympic and World Shotput champion Valerie Adams' streak of 56 victories at consecutive competitions has been ended by a botched injection.

Adams pulled out of her competition at the Continental Cup in Morocco this morning after losing feeling in her hands.

The 29-year old had a painkiller injection for an injury during the warm-up but the needle hit a nerve leaving Adams' hands numb, stopping her from throwing and forcing her to withdraw.

A very upset Adams was distraught at not being able to compete in what would have been her final meeting of the season before returning to New Zealand.

Adams' manager Nick Cowan says it's very upsetting for the athlete who has managed her season this year with injuries very well and it was unfortunate she couldn't complete her season as planned.

The New Zealand shot putter hadn't been beaten in 56 meets in a row and while her unbeaten run continues, it's no longer at consecutive competitions.

Adams won the shot put event at the last Continental Cup in 2010.

Germany's Christina Schwanitz won this year's title with a best effort of 20.02 metres.

The Commonwealth Champion Adams threw 20.59 metres, her season best, at the most recent Diamond League meet in Belgium.

Zane Robertson provided New Zealand's top placing on the first day of competition, finishing second in a very tactical 5000 metres race in 13:29.27, behind Kenyan favourite Isiah Koech's 13:26.86.

Nick Willis followed up his sixth place in the 1500 metres with a fourth place in the 3,000 metres on the second day.

In a slow race with a blistering finish, Willis couldn't match the 54-second final lap of winner Caleb Ndiku competing for the African team.

Willis clocked 7:55.50 behind the Commonwealth 5,000 champion's 7:52.64.

The only other New Zealander in action was high jumper Sarah Cowley, clearing a best of 1.79 metres, finishing seventh in the event.

Cowley was also drafted into the 100 metres hurdles at the last minute and finished eighth in that event.