Stephanie Ratcliffe

Stephanie Ratcliffe
Personal information
NationalityAustralian
Born (2000-12-29) 29 December 2000 (age 23)
Sport
SportAthletics
EventHammer throw
Achievements and titles
Personal bestsHammer: 73.63m (Austin, 2023) NR

Stephanie Ratcliffe (born 29 December 2000) is an Australian hammer thrower.[1]

Early life[edit]

From Melbourne, she started athletics when she was five years-old. She attended Doncaster Secondary College. In 2019 she won the Australian U20 hammer throw title. Later that year, she began a scholarship at Harvard University. However, she returned to Australia at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and studied remotely for 18 months.[2][3]

Career[edit]

She represented Australia in senior competition at the Oceania Athletics Championships in 2019 and 2022.[4]

She set an Australian national record in the hammer throw in May 2023 at the East Regional Conference Final with a collegiate-leading mark of 73.11 metres, breaking the Australian record of Bronwyn Eagles set in 2003 by two metres.[5][6] She won the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor title in Austin, Texas in June 2023 with a new national record of 73.63 metres.[7] In August 2023, she competed at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest.[8]

After transferring to the University of Georgia, she was runner-up at the SEC Championships in May 2024.[9] In July 2024, she was selected for the 2024 Paris Olympics.[10]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Stephanie Ratcliffe". World Athletics. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  2. ^ "Stephanie Ratcliffe". Athletics.com.au. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  3. ^ "Hammer throwing star looks to national titles after state success". Herald Sun. 5 April 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  4. ^ Gates, Zachary (29 May 2023). "How 'geed up' Aussie Harvard student broke national record". Nine.com. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  5. ^ Johnson, Dave (July 2023). "NCAA Women's Hammer — Ratcliffe Calm Amid Sturm & Drang". Track and Field News. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  6. ^ "RATCLIFFE SHATTERS AUSTRALIAN RECORD IN HAMMER THROW". Sportforall. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  7. ^ "Stephanie Ratcliffe Wins Women's Hammer, Gives Harvard Sweep At NCAA Champs". Flotrack. 8 June 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  8. ^ "World Athletics Championships, Budapest 2023". World Athletics. 19 August 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  9. ^ "STEPHANIE RATCLIFFE 2ND PLACE WOMEN'S HAMMER THROW - SEC OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS 2024". Runnerspace. 9 May 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  10. ^ Adams, Tim (July 8, 2024). "Australia take second largest ever team to Paris Olympics". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 9 July 2024.