Former British javelin thrower Fatima Vedad is well known as Fatima Whitbread. She gained notoriety when she won the competition at the 1986 European Athletics Championships in Stuttgart, breaking the previous day’s qualifying round world record with a throw of 77.44 meters.
Quick Facts of Fatima Vedad
Celebrated Name | Fatima Whitbread |
---|---|
Age | 61 Years Old |
Nick Name | Fatima |
Birth Name | Fatima Vedad |
Birth Date | 1961-03-03 |
Gender | Female |
Profession | Athlete |
Place Of Birth | Stoke Newington, London |
Birth Nation | London |
Ethnicity | Mixed |
Nationality | British |
Religion | Christian |
Race | Black |
Horoscope | Pisces |
School | Torells School |
Marital Status | Married |
Children | 1 |
Sexual Orientation | Straight |
Spouse | Andrew Norman |
Net Worth | $1 million to $5 million |
Source of Wealth | Javelin thrower career |
Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) |
Weight | 10 st 10 lb (68 kg) |
Body Type | Athletic |
Hair Color | Dark brown |
Eye Color | Dark brown |
Links | Wikipedia, Twitter |
At age 11, she started javelin throwing. In 1986, she broke the record for the javelin throw, and the following year, she took home the gold medal at the World Championships. In 1986 and 1987, Fatima received the Sportswoman of the Year award from the Sports Writers’ Association. She received the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.
She also had a lot of success at the Seoul Olympics in 1988, where she finished second to Petra Felke and took home the silver medal. In addition, she has been in a number of television shows, including the 2011 season of “I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!” She appeared in the TV show “Pilgrimage: Road to Istanbul” in 2020.
What is the wealth of Fatima Whitbread?
As of 2022, Fatima Whitbread’s net worth ranged from $1 million to $5 million. She also receives a large salary of about a thousand dollars every year. She is leading a wealthy and opulent life thanks to her enormous net worth. Fatima is one of the select few people with such a broad range of experience who also stays true to her goals. Additionally, her career as a javelin thrower is her primary source of income.
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Famous For: Fatima Whitbread
- She was a former javelin thrower for Great Britain.
- At the Stuttgart 1986 European Athletics Championships, she took first place in the competition.
What race does Fatima Whitbread belong to?
Fatima Vedad, Fatima Whitbread’s real name, was born in Stoke Newington, London, on March 3, 1961. She was born to a Turkish Cypriot mother and a Greek Cypriot father; she holds British citizenship and comes from a mixed-race family. She also identifies as a black person and practices Christianity as her religion.
Fatima turned 61 in 2022, and in accordance with her birthdate, she is a Pisces. Whitbread was occasionally left in the care of her violent biological mother, thus she spent her childhood in a number of different orphanages. She stated, “It was a nightmare of a childhood and the only reason I got through it and met my true mother was because I loved sport so much.” Later, Margaret Whitbread and her family adopted her.
Regarding Fatima’s schooling, she went to the nearby Grays Torells School.
Career of Fatima Whitbread (British athlete)
- Fatima Whitbread began her career by winning the intermediate division at the English Schools’ Athletics Championships in 1977 with a mark of 142 feet, nine inches (43.51 m). The following month, when she won the women’s championship of the Amateur Athletic Association (AAA), she set a new national intermediate record of 158 feet, five inches (48.28 m).
- After throwing 49.16 meters (161 feet 3+1/4 inches) in the javelin throw at the 1978 Commonwealth Games, she was placed sixth overall.
- She won the gold medal in the javelin competition at the 1979 European Athletics Junior Championships by tossing 58.20 meters (190 feet, 11 inches). She was then chosen to compete in the 1980 Summer Olympics, but after throwing only 49.74 meters (163 feet, 2 inches), she was unable to advance to the final.
- At the 1982 Commonwealth Games, she won the gold medal for her throw of 58.86 meters (193 feet 1+1/4 inches), and in 1983, after just making it to the final, she earned the silver medal at the first World Championships.
- In her first three throws, she broke the competition record twice, then in July 1986 at the Commonwealth Games, she set the record with a throw of 68.54 meters (224 feet 10 inches).
- She also qualified for the 1987 World Championships final in second place behind Felke and broke the world record for the javelin with a throw of 77.44 meters in the 1986 European Championship qualifying round.
- She had a number of serious illnesses in the months prior to the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, including a shoulder injury, boils, glandular fever, and gum issues.
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- A long-term shoulder problem that she believed stemmed from her world record throw in 1986 had an impact on her later career. Fatima’s final competition was the 1990 UK Athletics Championships, where she again had another shoulder injury. She formally retired from competition in 1992.
- While Sanderson won an Olympic gold and three Commonwealth gold medals, she also won one global championship and one European title. In addition, she outperformed Sanderson overall in 27 of the 45 competitions in which they competed against one another.
- Additionally, Fatima has two autobiographies written with Adrianne Blue that were published: “Survivor: The Shocking and Inspiring Story of a True Champion” in 2012 and “Fatima: The Autobiography of Fatima Whitbread” in 1988.
Whitbread has also appeared as a guest on a number of television shows, such as “A Question of Sport,” in which she made her debut in 1984, “The Little and Large Show,” which aired in 1987 and 1988, and “The Wright Stuff” (2012). - She was one of the famous people that participated in “Find a Family” on ITV in 1989 and had experience with adoption or foster care.
- Fatima participated in the ITV program “I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!” in November 2011, and she was featured as a “masked celebrity” on “Celebrity Wrestling” in 2005.
- She frequently appeared as a fitness advisor on “This Morning” in 2012, and in 2020, she hiked the Sultans Trail for BBC Two’s “Pilgrimage: Road to Istanbul.”
- Whitbread has also supported efforts to ban transgender female athletes from participating in women’s sports. She endorsed activists, notably Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies, and urged for the creation of a new category for athletes who identify as transgender.
Awards and Successes
- In the 1986 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards, Fatima finished second to Nigel Mansell and went on to win the honor the following year.
- In 1986 and 1987, she received the Sportswoman of the Year award from the Sports Writers’ Association.
For her contributions to athletics, she was named a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 1987 Birthday Honours. - In 1987, she was chosen as the BBC Sports Personality of the Year winner.
Is Fatima Whitbread Married?
The married Fatima Whitbread. At 1997, in Copthorne, West Sussex, she and her ex-husband Andrew Norman exchanged vows. Ryan, the child, was born to the couple. The marriage, however, did not last long since Whitbread learned that Norman was having an affair, which brought an end to their relationship. In 2006, they got divorced.
Later, her ex-husband tragically passed away in 2007 from a heart attack. Fatima is currently content with her single status. She is heterosexual, therefore that is how she identifies.
Furthermore, Fatima distributed allegations that Cliff Temple, an athletics journalist, had harassed Shireen Bailey, a player Temple had coached.
Unfortunately, Temple committed suicide in January 1994. The jury determined at the inquest into Temple’s death that a call from Norman had “pushed Temple over the edge.”
What is Fatima Whitbread’s height?
Fatima Whitbread stands about 5 feet 6 inches (1.68 meters) tall and weighs about 10 stone 10 pounds (68 kg). Her short, dark brown hair and eyes are attractive. Her physical make-up is sporty. Fatima is wonderfully proportioned and sports a toned bicep. Everywhere on the internet, you can find the picture of her body flaunting how hot it looks.
Have You Heard?
- She established a javelin throw world record in 1986, and the following year, she took home the gold medal at the World Championships.
- She took home two Olympic medals: a bronze in 1984 and a silver in 1988.
- Her zodiac sign is Pisces.
- When she was a young child, her javelin coach adopted her.
- She has appeared on several television shows, including the 2011 season of “I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!”