Editing Fatima Whitbread (section)

===Early career===
Whitbread won the [[English Schools' Athletics Championships]] intermediate title in 1977,<ref name="SCHOOLS"/> and set a national intermediate record of {{T&Fcalc2|158|5}} in winning the [[Amateur Athletic Association of England|Amateur Athletic Association]] (AAA) women's championship the following month.<ref>{{cite news |last=Temple |first=Cliff |title=A welcome British selection in Clover |newspaper=The Times |date=23 August 1977 |page=8}}</ref> She placed sixth in the [[javelin throw]] at the [[Athletics at the 1978 Commonwealth Games – Women's javelin throw|1978 Commonwealth Games]], throwing {{T&Fcalc|49.16}}.<ref name="CG"/> Whitbread won gold in the javelin event at the [[1979 European Athletics Junior Championships]], throwing {{T&Fcalc|58.20}}.<ref name="WAH" /> She was selected for the [[Athletics at the 1980 Summer Olympics – Women's javelin throw|1980 Summer Olympics event]],<ref name="TEAMGB"/> but, achieving only
{{T&Fcalc|49.74}}, she failed to qualify for the final.<ref name="SR80" /> At the [[Athletics at the 1982 Commonwealth Games – Women's javelin throw|1982 Commonwealth Games]], Whitbread took the bronze medal, throwing {{T&Fcalc|58.86}}, which was {{T&Fcalc|5.6}} behind champion [[Sue Howland]], from Australia.<ref name="CG"/><ref>{{cite news |title=Today's medals |newspaper=Reading Evening Post |date=7 October 1982 |page=18 }}</ref>
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1984-0506-029, Petra Felke.jpg|thumb|alt=A light-skinned woman, with her right arm extended backwards, holding a javelin|left|upright|[[Petra Felke]] (pictured in 1984), who won gold ahead of Whitbread at the [[Athletics at the 1988 Summer Olympics – Women's javelin throw|1988 Summer Olympics]]<ref name="HEND"/>]]

Having finished behind fellow British competitor [[Tessa Sanderson]] in a run of 18 competitions, Whitbread finally defeated her rival with a throw of {{T&Fcalc|62.14}} to win the [[1983 UK Athletics Championships|UK Athletics Championship in 1983]],<ref name="HEND">{{cite web |last=Henderson |first=Jason |title=Fatima Whitbread at 60 |url=https://athleticsweekly.com/exclusive/fatima-whitbread-at-60-1039941120/ |work=Athletics Weekly |date=2 March 2021 |access-date=7 May 2022 |archive-date=9 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220509002729/https://athleticsweekly.com/exclusive/fatima-whitbread-at-60-1039941120/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Athletics |newspaper=Sandwell Evening Mail |date=30 May 1983 |page=23}}</ref> Whitbread won the silver medal at the inaugural [[1983 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]] in 1983, having narrowly qualified for the final.<ref name="HEND"/> She led throughout the final until [[Tiina Lillak]] bettered her mark with her last throw of the contest.<ref name="TEAMGB"/> A few days before the [[Athletics at the 1984 Summer Olympics – Women's javelin throw|1984 Summer Olympics]], Whitbread had a stomach operation but was still able to travel to the Games and compete.<ref name="MAYS">{{cite news |last=Mays |first=Ken |title=How Sanderson buried Moscow miseries |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=8 August 1984 |page=22 }}</ref> She finished in the bronze medal position, with {{T&Fcalc|67.14}}, and Sanderson ({{T&Fcalc|69.56}}) won gold.<ref name="WAH"/><ref name="HEND"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Theresa Sanderson |url=https://www.european-athletics.com/historical-data/athletes/great-britain-ni/theresa-sanderson-014276273 |publisher=European Athletics |access-date=30 April 2022 |archive-date=30 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220430165746/https://www.european-athletics.com/historical-data/athletes/great-britain-ni/theresa-sanderson-014276273 |url-status=live }}</ref> Lillak, who had a stress fracture in her right foot, won the silver medal. After the result, Whitbread commented that "I am so disappointed{{nbsp}}... I was not right on the night."<ref name="MAYS"/>

At the [[Athletics at the 1986 Commonwealth Games – Women's javelin throw|1986 Commonwealth Games]] in July, Whitbread broke the Games record twice during her first three throws, and led with a distance of {{T&Fcalc|68.54}}, before Sanderson achieved {{T&Fcalc|69.80}} and won.<ref>{{cite news |title=Whitbread still bitter |newspaper=Burton Mail |date=1 August 1986 |page=28}}</ref> Whitbread sat down crying on the field after the result for around 30 minutes. After the medal ceremony, she commented, while still visibly upset: "12 years of hard work. Still no [gold] medal{{nbsp}}... I've waited two long years since [the 1984 Summer Olympics]. And now I'm humiliated."<ref>{{cite news |last=Keating |first=Frank |title=Whitbread's bitterness overflows |newspaper=The Guardian |date=1 August 1986 |page=22 }}</ref> Sanderson, who had placed behind Whitbread in all of their seven post-1984 Olympics meetings before the Games, said "I don't mind losing to Fatima in the smaller competitions, but not in the big ones."<ref>{{cite news |title=Canadian wins 200 metres |newspaper=The Daily Oklahoman |date=1 August 1986 |page=28}}</ref>