WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) New Zealand's Valerie Adams will not defend her shot put title at this month's world championships as she is struggling to recover from shoulder and elbow surgery.
The 30-year-old Adams, who has won the title four times, announced her decision on social media Wednesday from her training base in Switzerland.
Adams lost for the first time in 56 meetings over five years as she returned from injury this season, but the two-time Olympic champion said ''I'm glad I made an attempt as it has just boosted my motivation more for the Olympics.''
She said her recovery from right elbow surgery, particularly, was taking longer than expected, adding ''no-one said it would be easy but I ... will continue to fight and work towards defending my title in Rio 2016.''
