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Lisa Adams ran to hug her coach and sister Valerie on the stands after winning the F37 Shot Put event at the Tokyo Paralympic games, setting four Paralympic records on her way to winning the event.

Diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy at an early age, Lisa didn't take to the Shot Put event until 2018 at the age of 28. Her development over such a short period of time has been simply stunning. It is not completely unexpected though, when your coach and sister is the great Valerie Adams herself.

Adams, who won Bronze at the shot put event of the Tokyo Olympics, performed something akin to a small miracle with her long layoff after her comeback from having her second child to still medal at the games aged 36.

Family Ties

Valerie has repeatedly stated that her late mother is her biggest inspiration and spoke of her close family ties when growing up as kids. Raised by her mom and Coming from a humble background in Tonga, Valerie would go on to become not just one of the most Successful Shot Putters in the World, but one of the most successful Athletes for her native New Zealand.

Her Father, Sydney Adams had 18 Children from 5 Women. Many of her other siblings are into sports, with perhaps the most popular (other then herself?) being NBA player and half-brother Steven Adams. From Adams himself (who cited his Father's death as a devastating and defining loss for him)

From the antecedents of history, we can see that close family ties in sports can motivate players to achieve greatness. The William sisters are a perfect example, each pushing the other to bring out the best in them, while receiving support from their parents and siblings.

Lisa, also a mother of two had stated that her eight year old son told her 'not to come home' unless she brought back a medal(luckily we wouldn't have to worry about her being homeless).

Make of it what you want but it does appear having your bloodline as a consistent source of motivation can greatly improve results.

Relentless Work Ethic

Valerie is particularly known for her discipline, both within and outside her sport. Her brother Steven has often cited her as being the one person he was sure would be there to 'straighten him up' had he gone astray to delinquency during his juvenile years.

This discipline translated in her strong work ethic and dedication to her sport, which has rewarded her with time in the limelight. She will also be credited with getting her sister to share that ideal.

Their brother Steven is rumored to have trained everyday for 5 years when he took up basketball at the New Zealand Training Academy.

The values of hard work and a defined family support system may be overstated in Today's World, but it is often underappreciated.

For these New Zealand Women with obviously superior Athletic genes, the onus would be on passing not just their skill set to the next generation but also their values on the importance of family and hard work.