A world-class performer on the international stage, Lisa Adams has racked up a trio of World Para titles and a gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games during a career of unparalleled dominance.
A gifted all-round athlete she became the first woman to play Physical Disability Rugby League (PDRL) nines on the world stage, at the Rugby League Commonwealth Championships with the New Zealand men’s squad.
Lisa began competing in Para athletics later that year, after an article about her playing rugby was spotted by Athletics New Zealand coach Raylene Bates. A few months later, Lisa attended a classification event in Hastings and was encouraged to try shot put and discus.
Lisa’s potential was obvious from her first throw, and at her first major competition just months later, won the national Para athletics shot put title. A year later at the 2019 NZ Track & Field Championships, Lisa broke the F37 shot put world record for the first time.
Just 18 months after first picking up a shot, Lisa was selected to represent New Zealand at the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships. In the Women’s Shot Put F37, competition Lisa broke her own world record three times and came away with the gold medal.
At the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, Lisa proved unstoppable by blowing her competition away in the Women’s Shot Put F37 final. On the way to her gold medal throw of 15.12m, Lisa broke the Paralympic Record four times over in one of the standout New Zealand Paralympic Team performances.
In 2023, Lisa retained her World Champion title with a gold medal in the Women’s F37 Shot Put event. In a dominant performance, she reached 14.84m in the final round, adding 4cm to her championship record performance from 2019.
After retiring from the sport in April 2024 some ten months later she reversed this decision and went on to claim her third world title in the Women’s Shot Put F37 with a best throw of 13.83m at the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi.
