Petra Felke facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Petra Meier

Felke in 1984
Personal information
Birth name	Petra Felke
Nationality	German
Born	30 July 1959 (1959-07-30) (age 66) Saalfeld, East Germany
Height	1.72 m
Weight	74 kg
Sport
Country	East Germany  Germany
Sport	Track and field
Event(s)	Javelin throw
Club	SC Motor Jena
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	WR 80.00 m (1988)
Medal record Women's athletics Representing  East Germany Olympic Games Gold 1988 Seoul Javelin World Championships Silver 1987 Rome Javelin European Championships Silver 1986 Stuttgart Javelin Bronze 1990 Split Javelin Universiade Gold 1981 Bucharest Javelin Representing  Germany World Championships Silver 1991 Tokyo Javelin

Petra Meier, born Petra Felke on July 30, 1959, is a famous German track and field athlete. She was a top competitor in the javelin throw. Petra became an Olympic Champion in 1988, representing East Germany.

She broke the world record four times between 1985 and 1988. Petra is the only woman to throw a javelin 80 meters or more. Her amazing world record throw was exactly 80.00 meters (about 262 feet 5 inches). This record stood from 1988 until 1999. In 1999, a new javelin design was introduced, which changed how far javelins could be thrown. She also won silver medals at the World Championships in 1987 and 1991.

Petra Meier's Athletic Journey

Petra Felke was born in Saalfeld, East Germany. She trained with another great javelin thrower, Ruth Fuchs, at a sports club called SC Motor Jena. Petra quickly became her country's best javelin thrower, following in Ruth Fuchs' footsteps.

Early Competitions and Success

In 1977, Petra won a silver medal in the javelin at the European Athletics Junior Championships. She placed third at the GDR Championships in 1978 and 1981. Then, she finished second in 1982 and 1983. From 1984, she won six championships in a row!

At the 1983 World Championships in Athletics in Helsinki, she finished ninth. She could not compete at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. This was because East Germany joined a boycott led by the Soviet Union. Just 10 days after the 1984 Olympic javelin final, Petra won the Friendship Games title. Her winning throw was 73.30 meters.

Breaking World Records

Petra broke her first world record on June 4, 1985. She actually broke it twice on the same day! Her throws were 75.26 meters and then 75.40 meters. Later that year, she finished second at the 1985 IAAF World Cup in Canberra.

In 1986, at the 1986 European Athletics Championships, she won a silver medal. Her throw was 72.52 meters, placing her behind Fatima Whitbread from Great Britain. Petra set her third world record on July 29, 1987, with a throw of 78.90 meters. However, at the 1987 World Championships in Athletics in Rome, she again finished second to Whitbread.

Olympic Gold and Final Records

On September 9, 1988, Petra Felke broke the world record for the fourth time. She became the first woman ever to throw the javelin farther than 80 meters! Her world record throw was exactly 80.00 meters.

Two weeks later, she won the gold medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Her winning throw was 74.68 meters. Fatima Whitbread won the silver medal, and Petra's teammate Beate Koch won the bronze. Petra then won the 1989 World Cup title in Barcelona. She also earned a bronze medal at the 1990 European Championships.

Later Career and Legacy

In 1991, Petra started competing for a unified Germany. She was known as Petra Meier then. She won a silver medal at the World Championships in Tokyo with a 68.68-meter throw. She finished her international career at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. There, she placed seventh with a throw of 59.02 meters.

The design of the javelin was changed in 1999. Because of this, all previous world records were reset. This means Petra Meier's 80.00-meter throw became a special "eternal" record for the old javelin design. As of 2023, Barbora Špotáková holds the current world record with the new javelin design, throwing 72.28 meters.

International Achievements

Here are some of Petra Meier's (Felke's) top results in international javelin competitions:

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Notes
Representing  East Germany
1977	European Junior Championships	Donetsk, Soviet Union	2nd	57.68 m
1981	Universiade	Bucharest, Romania	1st	65.20 m
1982	European Championships	Athens, Greece	7th	65.56 m
1983	World Championships	Helsinki, Finland	9th	62.02 m
1984	Friendship Games	Prague, Czechoslovakia	1st	73.30 m
1985	World Cup	Canberra, Australia	2nd	66.22 m
1986	Goodwill Games	Seattle, United States	1st	70.78 m
	European Championships	Stuttgart, Germany	2nd	72.52 m
	Grand Prix Final	Rome, Italy	1st	70.64 m
1987	World Championships	Rome, Italy	2nd	71.76 m
1988	Olympic Games	Seoul, South Korea	1st	74.68 m
1989	World Cup	Barcelona, Spain	1st	70.32 m
1990	European Championships	Split, Yugoslavia	3rd	66.56 m
	Grand Prix Final	Athens, Greece	1st	66.44 m
Representing  Germany
1991	World Championships	Tokyo, Japan	2nd	68.68 m
1992	Olympic Games	Barcelona, Spain	7th	59.02 m

See also

In Spanish: Petra Felke para niños