Editing Fatima Whitbread (section)

{{Short description|British javelin thrower (born 1961)}}
{{Featured article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2023}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
|name           = Fatima Whitbread |honorific_suffix={{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|MBE}}
|image          = Fatima Whitbread 2.jpg
|caption        = Whitbread in 2012
|alt = Fatima Whitbread smiles into the camera
|birth_name    = Fatima Vedad
|birth_date     = {{Birth date and age|1961|03|3|df=y}}
|birth_place    = London, England<!-- DO NOT LINK, see [[MOS:GEOLINK]] for further guidance -->
|height = {{T&Fcalc|1.68}}<ref name="TEAMGB">{{cite web |title=Fatima Whitbread |url=https://www.teamgb.com/athlete/fatima-whitbread/4mjlvuzBwm5IW68MJyEpHJ |website=Team GB |access-date=8 June 2022 |archive-date=7 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220507181938/https://www.teamgb.com/athlete/fatima-whitbread/4mjlvuzBwm5IW68MJyEpHJ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|weight = {{convert|68|kg|lb|abbr=on}}<ref name="TEAMGB" />
|headercolor=lightsteelblue
|hometown       =
|sport = [[Sport of athletics|Athletics]]
|event = [[Javelin throw]]
|country=Great Britain
|pb = {{T&Fcalc|77.44}} (1986)
|medaltemplates = <!-- see [[Template:MedalRelatedTemplates]] -->
{{MedalSport | [[Women's athletics]]}}
{{Medal|Country | {{Flagu|Great Britain}} }}
{{MedalOlympics}}
{{Medal|Silver|[[1988 Summer Olympics|1988 Seoul]]|[[Athletics at the 1988 Summer Olympics – Women's javelin throw|Javelin]]}}
{{Medal|Bronze|[[1984 Summer Olympics|1984 Los Angeles]]|[[Athletics at the 1984 Summer Olympics – Women's javelin throw|Javelin]]}}
{{MedalWorldChampionships}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[1987 World Championships in Athletics|1987 Rome]]|[[1987 World Championships in Athletics – Women's javelin throw|Javelin]]}}
{{Medal|Silver | [[1983 World Championships in Athletics|1983 Helsinki]] | [[1983 World Championships in Athletics – Women's javelin throw|Javelin]]}}
{{MedalEuropeanChampionships}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[1986 European Athletics Championships|1986 Stuttgart]]|[[1986 European Athletics Championships - Women's javelin throw|Javelin]]}}
{{MedalCountry| {{Flagu|England}} }}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Commonwealth Games]]}}
{{MedalSilver|[[1986 Commonwealth Games|1986 Edinburgh]]|[[Athletics at the 1986 Commonwealth Games – Women's javelin throw|Javelin]]}}
{{MedalBronze|[[1982 Commonwealth Games|1982 Brisbane]]|[[Athletics at the 1982 Commonwealth Games – Women's javelin throw|Javelin]]}}
| mother = [[Margaret Callender|Margaret Whitbread]]
| spouse = {{marriage|Andy Norman|1997|2006|reason=divorce}}
| children = 1
}}

'''Fatima Whitbread''', {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|MBE}} (''{{née}}'' '''Vedad'''; born 3 March 1961) is a British retired [[javelin throw|javelin]] thrower. She broke the [[Women's javelin throw world record progression|world record]] with a throw of {{T&Fcalc|77.44}} in the qualifying round of the [[1986 European Athletics Championships – Women's javelin throw|1986 European Athletics Championships]] in [[Stuttgart]], and became the first British athlete to set a world record in a throwing event. Whitbread went on to win the European title that year, and took the gold medal at the [[1987 World Championships in Athletics – Women's javelin throw|1987 World Championships]]. She is also a two-time Olympic medallist, winning bronze at the [[1984 Summer Olympics]] and silver at the [[1988 Summer Olympics]].  She won the same medals, respectively, in the Commonwealth Games of 1982 and 1986.

After a difficult early childhood, Fatima Vedad was adopted by the family of [[Margaret Callender|Margaret Whitbread]], a javelin coach. Whitbread won the 1977 [[English Schools' Athletics Championships]] intermediate title, and was selected for the [[Athletics at the 1978 Commonwealth Games – Women's javelin throw|1978 Commonwealth Games]], where she finished sixth. The following year, she took gold at the [[1979 European Athletics Junior Championships]]. During her career, she had a well-publicised rivalry with another British javelin athlete, [[Tessa Sanderson]]. Whitbread's later career was affected by a long-term shoulder injury, which she believed dated back to her world record throw in 1986. The [[1990 UK Athletics Championships]] was the last event in which she participated, sustaining a further shoulder injury there. In 1992 she formally retired from competition.

She was named the [[Sports Journalists' Association|Sports Writers' Association]] Sportswoman of the Year in 1986 and 1987. She was appointed a [[Member of the Order of the British Empire]] (MBE) in the [[1987 Birthday Honours]], for services to athletics. She was voted [[BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award|BBC Sports Personality of the Year]] in 1987 and received the [[BBC Sports Personality of the Year Helen Rollason Award]] in 2023 in recognition of her triumph over the adversity of her childhood, and her continued work on behalf of other children in care environments.

In later years, Whitbread has appeared on several television programmes, including ''[[I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (British TV series)|I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!]]'' in 2011 and 2023, in which she finished in third place both times.