Dame Valerie Adams has thrown down a marker ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, winning the Diamond League event in Stockholm overnight.
The two-time Olympic gold medallist was competing in her first Diamond League event in three years, in which time she had given birth twice, but it didn't affect her performance as she easily won the competition.
Adams, 36, threw 19.26m on her third attempt, finishing 21cm clear of the rest of the field.
Portugal’s Auriol Dongmo was second with 19.05m, just ahead of the United States’ Maggie Ewen with 19.04m.
In a Facebook post, Adams said it was "good to be back out there" after her three-year absence.
While her winning throw is still well short of her best, it is an eerily similar distance to what she threw in the build-up to the Rio Games five years ago.
On that occasion in March 2016, Adams threw 19.25m to claim bronze at the World Indoor Championships. Just a few months later, Adams threw 20.42m to claim an Olympic silver medal.
Given the woman she lost to in Rio, Michelle Carter, is not competing in Tokyo, the chances of Adams claiming her third Olympic gold look bright.
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