Lisa Adams (athlete)

Lisa Adams (born 18 November 1990) is a New Zealand Paralympic F37 shot putter and F38 discus thrower.^[1] Adams competed at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan, and won a gold medal in Women's shot put F37, setting 4 Paralympics records in the process.^[2]

Lisa Adams

Personal information
Born	(1990-11-18) 18 November 1990 (age 34) Rotorua, New Zealand
Height	187 cm (6 ft 2 in)
Sport
Country	New Zealand
Sport	Paralympic athletics
Disability	hemiplegia
Disability class	F37
Club	Lake City Athletic Club
Coached by	Valerie Adams
Medal record Paralympic athletics Representing  New Zealand Paralympic Games 2020 Tokyo Women's shot put F37 World Championships 2019 Dubai Women's shot put F37

Early life and athletic career

Adams was born and grew up in Rotorua, New Zealand.^[3] She was diagnosed with left hemiplegia, a form of cerebral palsy, at an early age.^[4] She played netball and basketball when she was growing up, and played rugby with the Waikite women's able-bodied team in 2017.

In 2018 she became the first woman to play with the New Zealand men's national team at the Physical Disability Rugby League (PDRL) Commonwealth Championship. She was selected as flag bearer for the championship's opening ceremony.^[3]

Adams began competing in para-athletics in 2018 at the age of 28.^[3] She became world champion and world record holder in the F37 shot put in 2019, winning a gold medal at the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships.^[5][6]

Personal life

Adams is the younger sister of Valerie Adams, who was also her personal coach.^[6][7][8] Basketball player Steven Adams is her younger brother.^[3] Adams announced her retirement on 9 April 2024,^[9] but was included in the New Zealand team to the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships announced on 6 August 2025.^[10]