Valerie Adams' biggest challenge ahead lies in her head. For it's in the mental space that her long-time rival, Nadzeya Ostapchuk of Belarus, seems intent to play.

It's not currently possible to know Adams' thoughts on Ostapchuk's apparent recent spike in form as the pair prepare for their showdown for gold in the shot put on Tuesday morning (NZ time).

The powerful Aucklander long ago shut down her media commitments. She arrived in London only in recent days from Switzerland where she has been training, according to inside observers, "at a whole new level". She is in her own zone. No visitors allowed, especially pesky journalists wanting to know what she thinks of Ostapchuk.

And what are we to think of her? Or more accurately, what are we to believe about her?

On the one hand, every time Ostapchuk has faced Adams in meaningful competition she has folded faster than a collapsible deckchair. In Beijing four years ago, Adams psychologically destroyed her early in the final and she never recovered.

It's been the same whenever Adams has broken from her daily Spartacus-style training regime in Switzerland to compete in the Diamond League, the premier northern hemisphere track and field circuit.

The Kiwi Olympic champion beat her at the world indoor championships in Turkey this year and has maintained that dominance in recent Diamond League encounters. But then a strange thing happened. Midway through June, Ostapchuk suddenly started throwing consistently over 21 metres. Adams, whose personal best is 21.24m, has thrown 21.03m and 21.11m in her last two competitive outings.

But Ostapchuk has supposedly eclipsed Adams' best throw this year five times in as many weeks, including the year's best throw of 21.58m on July 18. The word supposedly is used because all of Ostapchuk's "Val-beating throws" happened within the borders of Belarus. Cynical athletics insiders whisper about "magical measuring tapes" when it comes to distances attained at nondescript events within old Soviet and Eastern Bloc countries which often make only a passing nod to athletics convention.

If Ostapchuk has made a quantum leap in performance on the eve of London, the same cynics might point towards other reasons than a magical tape. Either way it seems Ostapchuk wants to play with Adams' head. It's a brave strategy.

In Beijing, Adams relished the challenge of personalising the battle with her rival. She stared her down with the type of body language that both intimidates and imposes. Adams is not an athlete to be messed with and a fascinating personal battle awaits when the pair face off.

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Valerie Adams will relish the personal battle