Fatima Whitbread Has Had One Of Her Busiest Years

World-class javelin sportswoman reflects on her recent career.

In a kitchen, Fatima Whitbread chops a green pepper and adds it to a frying pan on the hob. Speaking to camera, she says that competition success is due to luck on the day. Clips show Fatima throwing the javelin 68.32 metres at Cystal Palace and in the 1983 World Championships where Fatima is comforted after winning silver as Tiina Lillak of Finland is shown winning gold with her final throw. In 1984 Fatima won the bronze medal in the 1984 Olympic Games. She explains that she was ill and had an operation before the Games and was advised not to compete but chose to go anyway, so bronze was a big achievement. Fatima mentions Petra Felke, Tiina Lillak and Tessa Sanderson as her main competitors. Shots of another successful javelin throw of 71.90 metres. The scenes of the javelin competitions were probably not filmed by Anglia TV and would have been supplied sports footage. The reporter was Tony Jones for this video made to be shown in a sports news story on Anglia Television early evening news / magazine programme About Anglia.

Keywords

Javelin; Sports; World Championships; Olympic Games

Place

Thurrock (Other)

Additional Description

Fatima Whitbread, born Fatima Vedad to Cypriot parents, was adopted by the family of Margaret Whitbread in 1975 and spent her teenage years in Chadwell St Mary, Essex.