Athletics

ompetitors take their throw from inside a circle 2.135 m (7 feet) in diameter, with a stopboard approximately 4 inches (10 cm) high at the front of the circle. The distance thrown is measured from the inside of the circumference of the circle to the nearest mark made by the falling shot in the soil.
[edit]Rules
Upon calling the athlete's name, he/she has 60 seconds to begin the throwing motion.
The athlete may not wear gloves. Under NFHS (US high school) and NCAA rules, the athlete may not tape his/her fingers, except to cover a cut or open wound; however, USATF and IAAF rules permit the taping of individual fingers.
The athlete must rest the shot close to the neck and keep it tight to the neck while throwing.
Athlete is allowed to touch the inside surface of the circle or stopboard but must not touch the top or outside of the circle or stopboard.
Shot must land in the legal sector (34.92°) of the throwing area.
Athlete must exit the throwing circle from the back.
Foul throws occur when an athlete:
Does not pause within the circle before beginning the throwing motion.
Does not begin the throwing movement within 60 seconds of having his or her name called.
Allows the shot to drop below his shoulder or outside the vertical plane of his shoulder during the put.
Touches with any part of the body (which includes shoes), during the throw:
the top or ends of the stopboard
the top of the iron ring
anywhere outside the circle.
Throws a shot which either falls outside the throwing sector or touches a sector line on the initial impact.
US high school (NFHS) rules only:
Does not wait in the circle until the shot has landed and the official calls "Mark."
Does not leave the circle under control.
NCAA/USATF/IAAF rules: Leaves the circle before the shot has landed.
Does not exit from the rear half of the circle.
Myths. The following are either obsolete or non-existent rules:
The athlete must enter the circle from the back (none of the rule books contain such a clause).
It is a foul if an athlete enters the circle, then exits and reenters the circle prior to starting the throw (all the rule books allow an athlete to leave a circle prior to starting a throw, but this still counts against the one minute time limit; the allowable method of exiting the circle varies by rule book)
It is a foul if loose clothing, shoelaces or long hair touch outside the circle during a throw, or an athlete brings a towel into the circle and then tosses it out prior to the throw (these are no longer rules or never were rules - none of these actions provide unfair advantage to the thrower).
[edit]Competition
Each competition has a set number of rounds of throws. Typically there are 3 rounds of preliminaries to determine seats for the final, and three more rounds are given in the final. Each competitor is credited with his/her longest throw, regardless if that was achieved in the preliminary or final rounds. The competitor with the farthest legal put is declared the winner.
In open US and international competition, the men's shot weighs 7.260 kilograms (16 lb), and the women's shot weighs 4 kg (8.82 lb). American high schools, under NFHS rules, use 12 pounds (5.44 kg) shots for boys and 4 kg shots for girls. In US Masters and World Masters competition the following shots are used:
Age Men Women
35-49 7.260 kg 4 kg
50-74 3 kg
50-59 6 kg
60-69 5 kg
70-79 4 kg
75+ 2 kg
80+ 3 kg
In international youth competition, 16-17 year-old boys use the 5 kg shot, and 18-19 year-old boys use the 6 kg shot. Girls use the 4 kg shot in these categories.
Shot put competitions have been held at the Summer Olympic Games since their inception, and is also included as an event in athletic world championships. The shot put originates from Highland games 'stone put' where competitors put a rounded cube, stone, or metal form of considerable weight from behind a given line.[citation needed] Cannon ball throwing contests were organised in 17th century England.[1] Although Scottish athletics has an analogous event, this does not necessarily indicate a common origin.[citation needed]
[edit]Putting styles

Two putting styles are in current general use by shot put competitors: the glide and the spin.
The origin of the 'glide' dates to 1951, when Parry O'Brien of the United States invented a technique that involves the putter facing backwards, rotating 180 degrees across the circle, and then tossing the shot. With this technique, a right-hand thrower begins facing the rear of the circle and kicks to the front with the left leg while pushing off forcefully with the right. The key is to move quickly across the circle with as little air under the feet as possible, hence the name "glide". As the thrower crosses the circle, the hips twist toward the front, followed by the shoulders and strikes in a putting motion with their arm.
In 1972 year Aleksandr Baryshnikov set his first USSR record by using a new putting style. [2] [3] In 1976 Aleksandr Baryshnikov set a world record with "spin" style and first time crossed 22 metres bound. That "spin" style ("круговой мах" in Russian) was invented by his coach Viktor Alexeyev. [4][5]
The spin was also invented in the United States in 1976[citation needed]. From this, in 1976, Brian Oldfield popularized the spin technique which involves rotating like a discus thrower and using rotational momentum for power. Oldfield set the record of 75 feet (23 m) in 1975; it was unofficial, however, because he was a professional at a time when the IAAF had an amateur-only policy, but undisputed and over 3 feet better than the official world record at the time. Oldfield's record in the 33 years since has been bettered by only 101⁄4 inches (0.26 m). In the spin, a right-handed thrower faces the rear, and begins to spin on the ball of the left foot. The thrower comes around and faces the front of the circle and drives the right foot into the middle of the circle. Finally, the thrower reaches for the front of the circle with the left foot, twists his hips and shoulders like in the glide, and puts the shot.
With all putting styles, the goal is to release the shot with maximum forward velocity at an angle of approximately forty degrees. Currently, most top male shot putters use the spin, but the glide remains popular, especially at the amateur level and among women, since the technique breeds higher consistency for the athlete as opposed to the rotational technique. It is worth noting that the world record by a male putter (Randy Barnes 75 ft 10¼ in (23.120 m) was completed with the spin technique, while the close second-best all-time distance (Ulf Timmermann 75 ft 8 in (23.063 m) was completed with the glide technique. The U.S. high school record for the 12-pound shot, 81 ft 3½ in (24.778 m) by Michael Carter, was also completed with the glide technique. Measuring which technique can provide the most potential is difficult, as many of the best throws recorded with each technique come from athletes under a thick cloud of doping suspicion and violations. In some opinions the decision to glide or spin should be based on the thrower's size and power, with short throwers benefiting from the spin and taller throwers benefiting from the glide, but many throwers do not follow this guideline. Almost all throwers start by using the glide.
[edit]World records

Main article: World record progression shot put men
Main article: World record progression shot put women
The current world record holders are:
Type Athlete Distance Venue Date
Men
Outdoor Randy Barnes[6] 23.12 m (75 ft 10.2) Westwood, California, USA May 20, 1990
Indoor Randy Barnes 22.66 m (74 ft 4.1) Los Angeles, California, USA January 20, 1989
Women
Outdoor Natalya Lisovskaya[7] 22.63 m (74 ft 2.9) Moscow, USSR June 7, 1987
Indoor Helena Fibingerová 22.50 m (73 ft 9.8) Jablonec, CZE February 19, 1977
[edit]Continental records

Records by event - Shot put. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-05-10.
Area Men's Women's
Distance Athlete Nation Distance Athlete Nation
Africa 21.97 m Janus Robberts South Africa 18.35 m Vivian Chukwuemeka Nigeria
Asia 21.13 m Sultan Abdulmajeed Al-Hebshi Saudi Arabia 21.76 m Meisu Li China
Europe 23.06 m Ulf Timmermann East Germany 22.63 m WR Natalya Lisovskaya Soviet Union
North and Central
America, and Caribbean 23.12 m WR Randy Barnes United States 20.96 m[A] Belsy Laza Cuba
Oceania 21.26 m Scott Martin Australia 21.07 m Valerie Vili New Zealand
South America 21.13 m Marco Antonio Verni Chile 19.30 m[A] Elisângela Adriano Brazil
Note: A Represents a distance set at a high altitude.[8]
[edit]Top 10 performers

Accurate as April 2010
[edit]Men
Mark Athlete Nationality Venue Date
23.12 Randy Barnes United States UCLA May 20, 1990
23.06 Ulf Timmermann East Germany Khania May 22, 1988
22.91 Alessandro Andrei Italy Viareggio August 12, 1987
22.86 Brian Oldfield United States El Paso May 10, 1975
22.75 Werner Günthör Switzerland Bern August 23, 1988
22.67 Kevin Toth United States Lawrence April 19, 2003
22.64 Udo Beyer East Germany Berlin August 20, 1986
22.54 Christian Cantwell United States Gresham June 5, 2004
22.52 John Brenner United States Walnut April 26, 1987
22.51 Adam Nelson United States Gresham May 18, 2002
[edit]Women
Mark Athlete Nationality Venue Date
22.63 Natalya Lisovskaya Soviet Union Moscow June 7, 1987
22.45 Ilona Briesenick East Germany Potsdam May 11, 1980
22.32 Helena Fibingerová Czechoslovakia Nitra August 20, 1977
22.19 Claudia Losch West Germany Hainfeld August 23, 1987
21.89 Ivanka Khristova Bulgaria Belmeken July 4, 1976
21.86 Marianne Adam East Germany Leipzig June 23, 1979
21.76 Li Meisu China Shijiazhuang April 23, 1988
21.73 Natalya Akhrimenko Soviet Union Leselidze May 21, 1988
21.69 Vita Pavlysh Ukraine Budapest August 15, 1998
21.66 Sui Xinmei China Beijing June 9, 1990
[edit]Medal winners

[edit]Olympic Games medal winners
[edit]Men
Year
1896 Robert Garrett ( United States) Mitiadis Gouskos ( Greece) Georgios Papasideris ( Greece)
1900 Richard Sheldon ( United States) Josiah McCracken ( United States) Robert Garrett ( United States)
1904 Ralph Rose ( United States) Wesley Coe ( United States) Leon Feuerbach ( United States)
1906 Martin Sheridan ( United States) Mihály Dávid ( Hungary) Eric Lemming ( Sweden)
1908 Ralph Rose ( United States) Denis Horgan ( United Kingdom) John Garrels ( United States)
1912 Patrick McDonald (USA) Ralph Rose ( United States) Lawrence Whitney ( United States)
1920 Ville Pörhölä ( Finland) Elmer Niklander ( Finland) Harry Liversedge ( United States)
1924 Clarence Houser ( United States) Glenn Hartranft ( United States) Ralph Hills ( United States)
1928 John Kuck ( United States) Herman Brix ( United States) Emil Hirschfeld ( Germany)
1932 Leo Sexton ( United States) Harlow Rothert ( United States) František Douda ( Czechoslovakia)
1936 Hans Woellke ( Germany) Sulo Bärlund ( Finland) Gerhard Stöck ( Germany)
1948 Wilbur Thompson ( United States) Jim Delaney ( United States) Jim Fuchs ( United States)
1952 Parry O'Brien ( United States) Darrow Hooper ( United States) Jim Fuchs ( United States)
1956 Parry O'Brien ( United States) Bill Nieder ( United States) Jirí Skobla ( Czechoslovakia)
1960 Bill Nieder ( United States) Parry O'Brien ( United States) Dallas Long ( United States)
1964 Dallas Long ( United States) Randy Matson ( United States) Vilmos Varjú ( Hungary)
1968 Randy Matson ( United States) George Woods ( United States) Eduard Gushchin ( Soviet Union)
1972 Władysław Komar ( Poland) George Woods ( United States) Hartmut Briesenick ( East Germany)
1976 Udo Beyer ( East Germany) Yevgeny Mironov ( Soviet Union) Aleksandr Baryshnikov ( Soviet Union)
1980 Vladimir Kiselyov ( Soviet Union) Aleksandr Baryshnikov ( Soviet Union) Udo Beyer ( East Germany)
1984 Alessandro Andrei ( Italy) Mike Carter ( United States) Dave Laut ( United States)
1988 Ulf Timmermann ( East Germany) Randy Barnes ( United States) Werner Günthör ( Switzerland)
1992 Mike Stulce ( United States) Jim Doehring ( United States) Vyacheslav Lycho ( Unified Team)
1996 Randy Barnes ( United States) John Godina ( United States) Oleksandr Bagach ( Ukraine)
2000 Arsi Harju ( Finland) Adam Nelson ( United States) John Godina (USA)
2004 Yuriy Bilonoh ( Ukraine) Adam Nelson ( United States) Joachim Olsen ( Denmark)
2008 Tomasz Majewski ( Poland) Christian Cantwell ( United States) Andrei Mikhnevich ( Belarus)
[edit]Women
Year
1948 Micheline Ostermeyer ( France) Amelia Piccinini ( Italy) Ine Schäffer ( Austria)
1952 Galina Zybina ( Soviet Union) Marianne Werner ( Germany) Klavdija Tochonova ( Soviet Union)
1956 Tamara Tyshkevich ( Soviet Union) Galina Zybina ( Soviet Union) Marianne Werner ( West Germany
Germany)
1960 Tamara Press (URS) Johanna Lüttge ( East Germany
Germany) Earlene Brown ( United States)
1964 Tamara Press ( Soviet Union) Renate Garisch-Culmberger ( East Germany
Germany) Galina Zybina ( Soviet Union)
1968 Margitta Gummel ( East Germany) Marita Lange ( East Germany) Nadezhda Chizhova (URS)
1972 Nadezhda Chizhova (URS) Margitta Gummel ( East Germany) Ivanka Hristova ( Bulgaria)
1976 Ivanka Hristova ( Bulgaria) Nadezhda Chizhova (URS) Helena Fibingerová ( Czechoslovakia)
1980 Ilona Slupianek ( East Germany) Svetlana Krachevskaya (URS) Margitta Pufe ( East Germany)
1984 Claudia Losch ( West Germany) Mihaela Loghin ( Romania) Gael Martin ( Australia)
1988 Natalya Lisovskaya (URS) Kathrin Neimke ( East Germany) Li Meisu ( China)
1992 Svetlana Krivelyova
( Unified Team) Huang Zhihong (CHN) Kathrin Neimke ( Germany)
1996 Astrid Kumbernuss ( Germany) Sui Xinmei (CHN) Irina Khudoroshkina ( Russia)
2000 Yanina Karolchyk-Pravalinskaya ( Belarus) Larisa Peleshenko (RUS) Astrid Kumbernuss ( Germany)
2004 Yumileidi Cumbá ( Cuba) Nadine Kleinert ( Germany) Svetlana Krivelyova (RUS)
2008 Valerie Vili ( New Zealand) Natallia Mikhnevich ( Belarus) Nadzeya Astapchuk ( Belarus)
[edit]World Championship medal winners
[edit]Men
Year
1983 Edward Sarul ( Poland) Ulf Timmermann ( East Germany) Remigius Machura ( Czechoslovakia)
1987 Werner Günthör ( Switzerland) Alessandro Andrei ( Italy) John Brenner ( United States)
1991 Werner Günthör ( Switzerland) Lars Arvid Nilsen ( Norway) Alexander Klimenko ( Soviet Union)
1993 Werner Günthör ( Switzerland) Randy Barnes ( United States) Oleksandr Bagach ( Ukraine)
1995 John Godina ( United States) Mika Halvari ( Finland) Randy Barnes ( United States)
1997 John Godina ( United States) Oliver-Sven Buder ( Germany) Cottrell J. Hunter ( United States)
1999 Cottrell J. Hunter ( United States) Oliver-Sven Buder ( Germany) Oleksandr Bagach ( Ukraine)
2001 John Godina ( United States) Adam Nelson ( United States) Arsi Harju ( Finland)
2003 Andrei Mikhnevich ( Belarus) Adam Nelson ( United States) Yuriy Bilonoh ( Ukraine)
2005 Adam Nelson ( United States) Rutger Smith ( Netherlands) Ralf Bartels ( Germany)
2007 Reese Hoffa ( United States) Adam Nelson ( United States) Andrei Mikhnevich ( Belarus)
2009 Christian Cantwell (USA) Tomasz Majewski ( Poland) Ralf Bartels ( Germany)
[edit]Women
Year
1983 Helena Fibingerová ( Czechoslovakia) Helma Knorscheidt ( East Germany) Ilona Slupianek ( East Germany)
1987 Natalya Lisovskaya ( Soviet Union) Kathrin Neimke ( East Germany) Ines Müller ( East Germany)
1991 Huang Zhihong ( China) Natalya Lisovskaya ( Soviet Union) Svetlana Krivelyova ( Soviet Union)
1993 Huang Zhihong ( China) Svetlana Krivelyova ( Russia) Kathrin Neimke ( Germany)
1995 Astrid Kumbernuss ( Germany) Huang Zhihong ( China) Svetla Mitkova ( Bulgaria)
1997 Astrid Kumbernuss ( Germany) Vita Pavlysh ( Ukraine) Stephanie Storp ( Germany)
1999 Astrid Kumbernuss ( Germany) Nadine Kleinert ( Germany) Svetlana Krivelyova ( Russia)
2001 Yanina Karolchyk-Pravalinskaya ( Belarus) Nadine Kleinert ( Germany) Vita Pavlysh ( Ukraine)
2003 Svetlana Krivelyova ( Russia) Nadzeya Astapchuk ( Belarus) Vita Pavlysh ( Ukraine)
2005 Nadzeya Astapchuk ( Belarus) Olga Ryabinkina ( Russia) Valerie Vili ( New Zealand)
2007 Valerie Vili ( New Zealand) Nadzeya Astapchuk ( Belarus) Nadine Kleinert ( Germany)
2009 Valerie Vili ( New Zealand) Nadine Kleinert ( Germany) Gong Lijiao ( China)
[edit]Commonwealth Games medal winners
[edit]Men
Year
1974 Geoff Capes ( England) Mike Winch ( England) Bruce Pirnie ( Canada)
1978 Geoff Capes ( England) Bruno Pauletto ( Canada) Bishop Dolegiewicz ( Canada)
1982 Bruno Pauletto ( Canada) Mike Winch ( England) Luby Chambul ( Canada)
1986 Billy Cole ( England) Joe Quigley ( Australia) Stuart Gyngell ( Australia)
1990 Simon Williams ( England) Adewale Olukoju ( Nigeria) Paul Edwards ( Wales)
1994 Matt Simson ( England) Courtney Ireland ( New Zealand) Chima Ugma ( Niger)
1998 Burger Lambrechts ( South Africa) Michalis Louca ( Cyprus) Shaun Pickering ( Wales)
2002 Justin Anlezark ( Australia) Janus Roberts ( South Africa) Carl Myerscough ( England)
2006 Janus Roberts ( South Africa) Dorian Scott ( Jamaica) Scott Martin ( Australia)
[edit]Women
Year
1974 Jane Haist ( Canada) Val Young ( New Zealand) Jean Roberts ( Australia)
1978 Gael Mulhall ( Australia) Carmen Ionescu ( Canada) Judy Oaks ( England)
1982 Judy Oaks ( England) Gael Mulhall ( Australia) Rose Haunch ( Canada)
1986 Gael Martin ( Australia) Judy Oaks ( England) Myrtle Augee ( England)
1990 Myrtle Augee ( England) Judy Oaks ( England) Yvonne Hanson-Nortey ( England)
1994 Judy Oaks ( England) Myrtle Augee ( England) Lisa-Maria Vizaniari ( Australia)
1998 Judy Oaks ( England) Myrtle Augee ( England) Johanna Abrahamse ( South Africa)
2002 Vivian Chukwuemeka ( Nigeria) Valerie Adams ( New Zealand) Johanna Abrahamse ( South Africa)
2006 Valerie Vili ( New Zealand) Vivian Chukwuemeka ( Nigeria) Cleapatra Borel-Brown ( Trinidad and Tobago)
[edit]Best year performance

[edit]Men's Season's Best
Year Distance Athlete Place
1964 20.68 Dallas Long (USA) Los Angeles
1965 21.52 Randy Matson (USA) College Station
1966 21.09 Randy Matson (USA) Los Angeles
1967 21.78 Randy Matson (USA) College Station
1968 21.30 Randy Matson (USA) Walnut
1969 20.64 Neal Steinhauer (USA)
Hans-Peter Gies (GDR) Eugene
Budapest
1970 21.75 Randy Matson (USA) Berkeley
1971 21.12 Heinz-Joachim Rothenburg (GDR) Moscow
1972 21.54 Hartmut Briesenick (GDR) Potsdam
1973 21.82 Al Feuerbach (USA) San Jose
1974 21.70 Aleksandr Baryshnikov (URS) Moscow
1975 22.86 Brian Oldfield (USA) El Paso
1976 22.45 Brian Oldfield (USA) El Paso
1977 21.74 Udo Beyer (GDR) Düsseldorf
1978 22.15 Udo Beyer (GDR) Gothenburg
1979 21.74 Udo Beyer (GDR) Linz
1980 21.98 Udo Beyer (GDR) Erfurt
1981 22.02 Brian Oldfield (USA) Modesto
1982 22.02 Dave Laut (USA) Koblenz
1983 22.22 Udo Beyer (GDR) Los Angeles
1984 22.19 Brian Oldfield (USA) San Jose
1985 22.62 Ulf Timmermann (GDR) Berlin
1986 22.64 Udo Beyer (GDR) Berlin
1987 22.91 Alessandro Andrei (ITA) Viareggio
1988 23.06 Ulf Timmermann (GDR) Hania
1989 22.19 Ulf Timmermann (GDR) Berlin
1990 23.12 Randy Barnes (USA) Westwood
1991 22.03 Werner Günthör (SUI) Oslo
1992 21.98 Gregg Tafralis (USA) Los Gatos
1993 21.98 Werner Günthör (SUI) Linz
1994 21.09 Jim Doehring (USA) New York City
1995 22.00 John Godina (USA) Knoxville
1996 22.40 Randy Barnes (USA) Rüdlingen
1997 22.03 Randy Barnes (USA) Indianapolis
1998 21.78 John Godina (USA) Walnut
1999 22.02 John Godina (USA) Eugene
2000 22.12 Adam Nelson (USA) Sacramento
2001 21.97 Janus Robberts (RSA) Eugene
2002 22.51 Adam Nelson (USA) Gresham
2003 22.67 Kevin Toth (USA) Lawrence
2004 22.54 Christian Cantwell (USA) Gresham
2005 22.20 John Godina (USA) Carson
2006 22.45 Christian Cantwell (USA) Gateshead
2007 22.43 Reese Hoffa (USA) London
2008 22.12 Adam Nelson (USA) Manhattan
2009 22.16 Christian Cantwell (USA) Zagreb
[edit]Women's Season's Best
Year Distance Athlete Place
1968 19.61 Margitta Gummel (GDR) Mexico City
1969 20.43 Nadezhda Chizhova (URS) Athens
1970 19.69 Nadezhda Chizhova (URS) Erfurt
1971 20.43 Nadezhda Chizhova (URS) Moscow
1972 21.03 Nadezhda Chizhova (URS) Munich
1973 21.45 Nadezhda Chizhova (URS) Varna
1974 21.57 Helena Fibingerová (TCH) Gottwaldov
1975 21.60 Marianne Adam (GDR) Berlin
1976 21.99 Helena Fibingerová (TCH) Opava
1977 22.32 Helena Fibingerová (TCH) Nitra
1978 22.06 Ilona Slupianek (GDR) Berlin
1979 22.04 Ilona Slupianek (GDR) Potsdam
1980 22.45 Ilona Slupianek (GDR) Potsdam
1981 21.61 Ilona Slupianek (GDR) Potsdam
1982 21.80 Ilona Slupianek (GDR) Potsdam
1983 22.40 Ilona Slupianek (GDR) Berlin
1984 22.53 Natalya Lisovskaya (URS) Sochi
1985 21.73 Natalya Lisovskaya (URS) Erfurt
1986 21.70 Natalya Lisovskaya (URS) Tallinn
1987 22.63 Natalya Lisovskaya (URS) Moscow
1988 22.55 Natalya Lisovskaya (URS) Tallinn
1989 20.82 Li Meisu (CHN) Prague
1990 21.66 Sui Xinmei (CHN) Beijing
1991 21.12 Natalya Lisovskaya (URS) Frankfurt
1992 21.06 Svetlana Krivelyova (RUS) Barcelona
1993 20.84 Svetlana Krivelyova (RUS) Moscow
1994 20.54 Sui Xinmei (CHN) Beijing
1995 21.22 Astrid Kumbernuss (GER) Gothenburg
1996 20.97 Astrid Kumbernuss (GER) Duisburg
1997 21.22 Astrid Kumbernuss (GER) Hamburg
1998 21.69 Viktoriya Pavlysh (UKR) Budapest
1999 20.26 Svetlana Krivelyova (RUS) Tula
2000 21.46 Larisa Peleshenko (RUS) Moscow
2001 20.79 Larisa Peleshenko (RUS) Tula
2002 20.64 Irina Korzhanenko (RUS) Munich
2003 20.77 Svetlana Krivelyova (RUS) Tula
2004 20.79 Irina Korzhanenko (RUS) Tula
2005 21.09 Nadzeya Astapchuk (BLR) Minsk
2006 20.56 Nadzeya Astapchuk (BLR) Minsk
2007 20.54 Valerie Vili (NZL) Osaka
2008 20.98 Nadzeya Astapchuk (BLR) Minsk
2009 21.07 Valerie Vili (NZL) Thessaloniki