Petra's Story
Victorian javelin thrower Petra Rivers emerged as an outstanding junior, winning both the junior and senior Australian titles in 1970 at age 17. She then claimed gold at the 1970 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh and set Australian and world junior records the following year. Injury kept Rivers from the Munich 1972 Olympics, but she returned to defend her Commonwealth title at Christchurch 1974. Continuing injury problems led her to retire in 1975, aged 22.
Rivers returned to competition four years later and made her Olympic debut at Moscow 1980, placing 15th in qualifying with a throw of 55.80 metres. She set an Australian record of 69.28 metres in 1982 and won Commonwealth silver in Brisbane. At Los Angeles 1984, Rivers reached the Olympic final and placed 12th. She completed her international career at the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, where her Commonwealth journey had begun 16 years earlier.
