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About Petria Thomas
Petria Thomas won the hearts of millions around the world with her triple gold medal-winning triumph at the Athens Olympic Games in 2004. Having overcome the pain and anguish of three shoulder reconstructions and two ankle reconstructions over the length of her glittering 12-year career, Petria is admired and respected for her grit, determination and steely will to win.
But there's more to the Queen of Butterfly than meets the eye, and in her autobiography "Swimming Against the Tide" she tells of her battle against severe depression, her cries for help and the extraordinary determination that overcame these physical and emotional pressures to reach the pinnacle of her career.
In 1994, at the age of 17, Petria made her debut in international competition winning a bronze medal in the 200m butterfly at the World Championships. Later that same year she won two gold medals at the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria, Canada. But for the next 2 years she was to struggle with injury.
At the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 Petria made a comeback winning a silver medal and finishing second to Susie O'Neill. Next despite being plagued by a shoulder injury, Petria won a bronze and silver medal at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur.
She had similar success at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, winning three medals - a bronze and two silver medals. Again despite battling recurring injuries, Petria decided to continue her quest for gold. The decision paid off and she won three gold medals at the 2001 World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan.
In 2004, after having missed out on first place in 1996 and 2000, Petria finally managed to achieve gold at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. Petria announced her retirement from competitive swimming at the conclusion of the games.
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