Val Smith
Valerie Christine Smith is an international lawn bowler from New Zealand.
Bowls career
World Championships
Smith won a bronze medal at the 2004 World Outdoor Bowls Championship in Leamington Spa before winning three medals four years later at the 2008 World Outdoor Bowls Championship in the singles and pairs gold medal and team event in Christchurch, New Zealand. At the 2012 World Outdoor Bowls Championship, Smith won two silver medals in the singles and pairs respectively. In 2016, she won a bronze medal in the fours at the 2016 World Outdoor Bowls Championship in Christchurch with Angela Boyd, Katelyn Inch and Kirsten Edwards.In 2020, she was selected for the 2020 World Outdoor Bowls Championship in Australia but the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, she was selected as part of the team to represent New Zealand at the 2023 World Outdoor Bowls Championship. She participated in the women's triples and the women's fours events. In the fours, her team won the bronze medal. One week later in the triples, the team won the group undefeated before winning a tense quarter final against Malaysia and a semi final against Canada. In the final they met Australia, losing 16–9 but claiming the silver medal.
Commonwealth Games
Smith competed at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, the women's triples competition and at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, where she won a silver medal in the women's singles competition. She competed at the 2014 Commonwealth Games as part of the women's pairs and women's fours teams. She won a bronze medal in the women's fours events alongside teammates Mandy Boyd, Selina Goddard and Amy McIlroy.She was selected as part of the New Zealand team for the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in Queensland. In 2022, she competed in the women's triples and the Women's fours at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. In both the triples and the fours she secured a bronze medal.