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| Jacqui Cooper |
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| Chris Anstey |
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| Petria Thomas |
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| Adam Thompson |
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| Linley Frame |
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| Daniel Kowalski |
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| Petria Thomas |
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Petria Thomas has become one of Australia’s most successful female swimmers. Her three gold medals and one silver medals at the Athens Olympic Games has brought her Olympic medal count to 8. Only the great Dawn Fraser and Susie O’Neill have equalled that number. Petria Thomas was born in Lismore in New South Wales on 25th August 1975. Petria is the epitome of hard work and tenacity in Australia’s sporting culture. Since making her debut for the Australian Swimming Team in 1993, she has undergone an array of career threatening encounters, including 3 shoulder reconstructions and an ankle operation. Yet, she has continued to shine as the nation’s leading female performer in the pool. |
Petria’s first shoulder reconstruction was performed not long after the Atlanta Olympics in 1996. In May 1999, she underwent surgery on her other shoulder and again went through an intense rehabilitation to prepare herself for the Sydney 2000 Olympics All the hard work and determination paid off for Petria in Sydney at the 2000 Olympic Games.
She won 3 medals in all, a bronze in the 200m Butterfly and silver in both the women’s 4 x 200m freestyle relay and the 4x 100m medley relay. Her results at the 2001 and 2002 Australian Championships were extraordinary. She easily won the 50m, the 100m, and the 200m Butterfly events, and also won medals in the 100m and 200m freestyle – events which, she has not normally competed in. Petria currently holds the Australian and Commonwealth records in 50m and 100m Butterfly, both long and short course. Following the 2001 Australian Championships, Petria had to undergo surgery again. After reconstruction to her ankle, she again hit the training pool and is determined as ever.
If Petria’s achievements in 2001 were extraordinary then 2002 has been even better. At the Australian Championships held in Brisbane in March she qualified for a record 9 events for the Commonwealth Games to be held in Manchester later in the year. At the Manchester Commonwealth Games in July, Petria won an astounding 5 Gold Medals, 1Silver, and 1 Bronze Medal. She also broke the Australian and Commonwealth Record in the 50m Butterfly swimming a time of 26.66s. Petria became the first and only female to win a Gold Medal in the same event at 3 successive Commonwealth Games when she won the 100m Butterfly. Only a week later, at the World Short Course Championships (Moscow) she won gold in the 200m butterfly, breaking Susie O’Neill’s old record by 0.41 seconds.
She later helped destroy the 1999 Australian record in the 4 x 200m freestyle relay with Elka Graham, Giaan Rooney and Lori Munz. At the Pan Pacific Championships in Japan 24-29th August 2002, Petria added another 5 medals to her total. Winning gold in the 200m butterfly and the 4 x 100m freestyle and topping off with gold in the 4 x 100m medley relay in which Petria unleashed a swim which is the fastest butterfly split recorded in a relay (56.94sec). She won silver in the 200m butterfly and the 4 x 200 freestyle relay. After winning the 100m Butterfly and the 50m Butterfly at the 2003 Australian Championships, Petria took the huge decision to again have her troublesome shoulder reconstructed. She is determined to win a Gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, and wanted to give herself the best opportunity.
The first week back to competition saw her win 2 events at the Qantas skins, and 3 events at the Melbourne World Cup. Her performances amazed everyone, especially her victory in the distance freestyle at the Skins, and her Commonwealth record in the 50m Butterfly. During her career, Petria won 3 Olympic Gold Medals, 3 World Championships, 9 Commonwealth Games Gold Medals, 13 Australian Championships, and 3 Pan Pacific Gold Medals. |
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| CAREER HIGHLIGHTS |
2004
Gold 100m Butterfly Athens Olympic Games
Gold 4 x 100m Freestyle Athens Olympic Games
Silver 200m Butterfly Athens Olympic Games
Gold 4 x 100m Medley Athens Olympic Games
Gold 200m Butterfly World Cup Stockholm
Gold 200m Butterfly Australian Championships
Gold 100m Butterfly Australian Championships
Gold 50m Butterfly Australian Championships
Silver 200m Freestyle Australian Championships
2003
Gold 100m Butterfly Australian Championships
Gold 50m Butterfly Australian Championships
1st 50m Butterfly World Cup Melbourne
1st 100m Butterfly World Cup Melbourne
1st 200m Butterfly World Cup Melbourne
2002
Gold 200m Butterfly Pan Pacific Championships
Gold 4 x 100m Freestyle Pan Pacific Championships
Gold 4 x 100m Medley Pan Pacific Championships
2nd 100m Butterfly Pan Pacific Championships
2nd 4 x 200m Freestyle Pan Pacific Championships
1st 50m Butterfly Australian Championships
1st 100m Butterfly Australian Championships
1st 200m Butterfly Australian Championships
2nd 200m Freestyle Australian Championships
3rd 100m Backstroke Australian Championships
1st 200m Butterfly World Short course, Moscow
3rd 4x200m Freestyle World Short course, Moscow
Gold 50m Butterfly Commonwealth Games
Gold 100m Butterfly Commonwealth Games
Gold 200m Butterfly Commonwealth Games
Gold 4x100m Freestyle Commonwealth Games
Gold 4x100m Medley Commonwealth Games
2nd 4x200m Freestyle Commonwealth Games
3rd 200m Freestyle Commonwealth Games
2001
1st 50m Butterfly Australian Championships
1st 100m Butterfly Australian Championships
1st 200m Butterfly Australian Championships
2000
Won 100m Butterfly Australian Championships
Won 50m Butterfly Australian Championships
2nd 200m Butterfly Australian Championships
2000
3rd 200m Butterfly Sydney Olympic Games
2nd 4x200m Freestyle Sydney Olympic Games
2nd 4x100m Medley Sydney Olympic Games
1998
Silver 200m Butterfly World Championships
Bronze 100m Butterfly World Championships
Silver 4x100m Medley World Championships
Bronze 4x200m Relay World Championships
Gold 100m Butterfly Commonwealth Games
Gold 4x100m Medley Commonwealth Games
Silver 200m Butterfly Commonwealth Games
Gold 100m Butterfly Australian Short Course
Gold 200m Butterfly Australian Short Course
1996
Silver 200m Butterfly Atlanta Olympic Games
1995
Final 200m Butterfly Pan Pacific Championships
1994
Gold 100m Butterfly Commonwealth Games
Gold 4x100m Medley Commonwealth Games
4th 100m Butterfly World Championships
4th 4x100m Medley World Championships
1993
Bronze 100m Butterfly Pan Pacific Championships
Bronze 200m Butterfly World Short Course
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| ACHIEVEMENTS |
2004
- Triple Gold Medallist at Athens Olympic Games
- Recipient of “The Don Award” at the Sport Australia Hall of Fame Dinner
- Australian Institute of Sport Athlete of Year
- Recipient of “The Dawn Fraser Award” at the 2004 Australian Sporting Awards
- NSW Sportsperson of the year.
- Swimmers swimmer of the Year.
2003
• Australian Institute of Sport Athlete of the Year 2002 The first female to win a Gold Medal in the same event, at 3 successive Commonwealth Games. Petria won the 100m Butterfly in 1994, 1998 and in 2002 .
• Won 5 Gold Medals at the Manchester Commonwealth Games.
• Has won a total of 9 Gold Medals at Commonwealth Games.
• Australian Championships saw her qualify in 9 events to swim at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester later this year.
• Won 5 medals at Australian Championships in March (3 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze).
• Won gold breaking Suzie O’Neill’s record in 200m butterfly at FINA World Short Course Championships in Moscow (April) clocking 2:05:76.
• In 4x200m relay team to set Australian record at World Short Course Championships.
• Fastest butterfly split (56.94sec) ever recorded in a relay. Pan Pacific Championships, Yokohama, Japan. (August 29th 2002)
2001
• New Commonwealth Record for 100m Butterfly (Short Course) 58.26
2000
• Set Commonwealth Records in seven consecutive swims spanning 2 meets. These were set in the 50m an 100m Butterfly
• Selected for the Sydney Olympics in at least 3 events
• Won 3 medals (1 bronze , 2 silver) at the Sydney Olympic Games
1998
• Inducted into the Australian Institute of Sport Swimming Hall of Fame
• Young Australian of the Year Awards – ACT Finalist
• Young Australian of the Year Awards – NSW Finalist
1996
• Finalist NBN Television (Channel 9) Sports Star of the Year
• Australian Institute of Sport “Female Swimmer of the Year”
• Union of Old Swimmers Natatorial Award “Female Swimmer of the Year”
• Equalled Australian record in the 50m Butterfly at Australian Championships
• Silver medal at Atlanta Olympics in 200m Butterfly
1994
• NBN Television “Sports Star of the Year”
• Australian Institute of Sport “Female Swimmer of the Year”
1993
• Australian Institute of Sport “Female Swimmer of the Year”
• Australian Institute of Sport “Athlete of the Month – June and December”
• Finalist NBN Television Sports Star of the Year Awards
1992
• NSW Country Surf Lifesaving Championships – 5 Gold Medals
• NSW State Swimming Team– Tour of Germany and America
CURRENT RECORDS HELD
100m Butterfly 57.36 (Long Course) set in Sydney in 2004
100m Butterfly 56.93 (Short Course) set in 2002
50m Butterfly 26.29 (Long Course) set in Manchester in 2004
50m Butterfly 26.07 (Short Course) set in Stockholm in 2004
*These records are both Commonwealth and Australian records
Fastest butterfly split (4x100 relay) 56.67 set in Atens (2004 Olympic Games)
4 x 100m Freestyle Relay 3.35.94 (World Record) set August 2004
4 x 100m Medley Relay 3.57.32 (World Record) set August 2004 |
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