Six weeks ago, it was a struggle for Dame Valerie Adams to throw sixteen metres. Today she's wearing a silver medal.
Dame Valerie won silver in the women's shot put at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games with a throw of 18.70 metres.
Adams failed to defend her title from the 2014 Glasgow Games, with Jamaica's Danniel Thomas-Dodd taking gold with an impressive heave of 19.36 metres, a Jamaican national record.
She gave birth to her first child, Kimoana, just six months ago and has only recently returned to full training.
"I'm delighted. It's been an amazing six months of my life."
"Six weeks ago it was a struggle to throw even 16 metres. Today I've thrown as season's best, I've had my family in the crowd…"
"One thing I must say is big ups to my mother-in-law. She has been a gem. She has enabled me to come here tonight, to perform to the best of my ability, and collect the fifth Commonwealth medal."
Dame Valerie said she didn't know how she would bounce back after her pregnancy, but keeping fit throughout the nine months was her saving grace.
"I don't know anybody else who has tried to come back to a power sport this quickly after having to get baby out of the sunroof, but hey, I am here and it worked out."
Hopefully she's done New Zealand proud, she said.
"I've left my heart and soul out there, and hopefully I can inspire any mums out there who want to take up sport, please do."
She says she won't be putting any pressure on her daughter to follow in her athletic footsteps. "If she's got Daddy's brains and Mummy's muscles, all good."
Eliza McCartney, who was favoured to win a Commonwealth gold medal in the pole vault, had to settle for silver with a vault of 4.70.
Canadian Alysha Newman set a new Commonwealth Games record of 4.75 to win the gold medal, and Australia's Nina Kennedy took the bronze.
"I was exhausted by that last jump, so I left everything out there. I can't be not happy with that."
She is using the biggest pole she's ever jumped on, McCartney said.
"So I'm a little bit disappointed with the height because I know that I can jump a lot higher.
"But in saying that, this is the beginning of my season. I am competing all the way through to September this year. So I'm going to go back to a longer run up, I'm going to restart, get into the European season, and really attack what I know that I've got inside me."
At the end of the day, a medal is a medal, McCartney said.
"I've won it for New Zealand, and I went out there and I left everything out there. So I think I will look back on this Commonwealth Games thinking this has been such a good opportunity just to really give it a go.
"Hopefully in four years in Birmingham I'll be really out there to nail it again."
Dame Valerie Adams of New Zealand celebrates with her baby daughter Kimoana Josephine Adams Price Photo: Photosport
Dame Valerie wants to say thank you to all the Kiwis who have supported her over the years.
"I know I've been around for a very long time. It's been absolutely an amazing journey, and it's been amazing to share this with everybody.
"Big ups to all the mums out there. This gig is tough…I do this not only for myself and not only for my family, but for the country.
As to whether, at 33, she has another Games in her?
"I am only 33, but let's just say I have been doing this for 21 years now. I think that question should be left for another couple of years."
