Sue Platt

{{short description|British former track and field athlete (born 1940)}}

{{Infobox sportsperson

| name = Sue Platt

| image =

| caption =

| nationality = British (English)

| sport = Athletics

| event = Javelin

| club = London Olympiades AC

| birth_date = 4 October 1940

| birth_place = England

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height =174 cm

| weight =63 kg

| pb =

| medaltemplates=

{{MedalCountry|{{ENG}}}}

}}

Susan Mary Platt (born 4 October 1940) is a British former track and field athlete who competed for England and Great Britain in the javelin throw. She was a three-time Olympian and competed three times at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games. She had a personal best of {{T&Fcalc|55.60}} and was Commonwealth champion in 1962.

Biography

Born and educated at Copthall County Grammar School in Mill Hill in the London suburb of Barnet, she joined the London Olympiades athletics club, which was the country's leading all-women's club.[https://web.archive.org/web/20200418035936/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/pl/sue-platt-1.html Sue Platt]. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2016-03-06. Platt emerged at national level in 1958 when finishing third behind Averil Williams in the javelin event at the 1958 WAAA Championships.{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003359/19580608/220/0012 |title=England's Girl Athletes Can Hold Australians |work=Weekly Dispatch (London) |date=8 June 1958 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription |access-date=19 February 2025 }}

The following year Platt became the national javelin champion after winning the British WAAA Championships title at the 1959 WAAA Championships.{{cite web|url=http://www.gbrathletics.com/bc/waaa.htm |title=AAA Championships (women) |website=GBR Athletics |access-date=19 February 2025 }} She went on to take nine national titles in women's javelin at the WAAA Championships (one of them as best placed British athlete in 1964). She also took three titles at the regional South of England Championships.

Platt made three appearances at the Summer Olympics – 1960, 1964 and 1968 – being Great Britain's leading female javelin thrower in the 1960s. Her best finish and performance was on her debut in 1960, where she came seventh with a mark of {{T&Fcalc|51.01}}. She was among the best throwers of the period outside of Eastern Europe. She performed poorly at the 1962 European Athletics Championships, however, coming last in qualifying.[http://www.european-athletics.org/mm/Document/EventsMeetings/General/01/27/31/44/StatisticsHandbookZ%C3%BCrich2014_Neutral.pdf European Athletics Championships Zürich 2014 - STATISTICS HANDBOOK]. European Athletics Association, pp. 391-397. Retrieved on 2016-03-06.

She was a three-time participant for England at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games. Her first outing in 1958 saw her finish in fourth place, one spot behind England teammate Averil Williams, but over ten metres behind winner Anna Pazera, who set a world record. With a throw of {{T&Fcalc|50.26}}, Platt topped the podium at the 1962 games, where Pazera fell to third in the rankings and Rosemary Morgan made it a 1–2 for England. Platt also competed in the shot put at that event, coming eighth in the final. In her third and final appearance for England, Platt placed sixth overall.[http://www.thecgf.com/search/athlete.asp?participants=&athleteid=41315&page=&exp=1 Games Results for Susan Mary Platt]. The Commonwealth Games Federation. Retrieved on 2016-03-06.[http://www.gbrathletics.com/ic/cgw.htm Commonwealth Games (Women)]. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-03-06.

International competitions

1958

|British Empire and Commonwealth Games

|Cardiff, Wales

|4th

|Javelin throw

|45.38 m

1960

|Olympic Games

|Rome, Italy

|7th

|Javelin throw

|51.01 m

rowspan=3|1962

|European Championships

|Belgrade, Yugoslavia

|14th (q)

|Javelin throw

|44.17 m

rowspan=2|British Empire and Commonwealth Games

|rowspan=2|Perth, Western Australia

|8th

|Shot put

|11.53 m

bgcolor=gold|1st

|Javelin throw

|50.26 m

1964

|Olympic Games

|Tokyo, Japan

|9th

|Javelin throw

|48.59 m

1966

|British Empire and Commonwealth Games

|Kingston, Jamaica

|6th

|Javelin throw

|42.27 m

1968

|Olympic Games

|Mexico City, Mexico

|15th

|Javelin throw

|48.52 m

National titles

Women's AAA Championships
Javelin throw: 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1966,{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0004941/19660703/799/0027 |title=Fleet-footed Anne has that gold-medal look |work=Sunday Express |date=3 July 1966 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription |access-date=1 March 2025 }} 1967, 1968, 1969[http://www.gbrathletics.com/bc/waaa.htm AAA Championships (Women)]. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-03-06.[http://www.gbrathletics.com/bc/bc3.htm British Championships (1945-1959)]. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-03-06.{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001816/19610709/027/0027 |title=Britain find a stand-in for Carole - From Australia |work=Birmingham Weekly Mercury |date=9 July 1961 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription |access-date=22 February 2025 }}
South of England Championships
Javelin throw: 1960, 1961, 1964[http://www.gbrathletics.com/bc/seaa.htm South of England Championships]. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-03-06.