Petria Thomas

About Petria

Petria Thomas OAM is one of Australia's most successful female swimmers. A triple Olympic Gold Medallist and winner of 15 national titles, she has claimed 8 Olympic medals, 12 Commonwealth Games medals and 16 World Championship medals. At the Athens 2004 Olympic Games she won three gold medals and a silver. She became the first female swimmer to win the same event — the 100m butterfly — at three consecutive Commonwealth Games, captained the Australian swim team from 2001 to 2004, was three times crowned AIS Athlete of the Year, won the 2004 'The Don' Award, and has been inducted into both the Sport Australia Hall of Fame and the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

Behind the medal count sits a remarkable story of courage. Three times Petria came back from major surgery to return to the top of world swimming — persistence and determination tested in the most public arena possible. She released her autobiography, Swimming Against the Tide, in 2005, and has been awarded an OAM for her services to sport.

Her second career has been just as substantial. She served as Australian Team Leader at three Commonwealth Youth Games, was Deputy Chef de Mission at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, and in 2019 was appointed the first female Chef de Mission for an Australian Commonwealth Games team, leading the team at Birmingham 2022. She has worked at the Australian Sports Commission, Swimming Australia and Gymnastics Australia, and holds the position of Assistant Director of Engagement at Sport Integrity Australia. Audiences consistently describe her as down to earth, speaking from the heart — a genuine Australian champion who mixes freely with delegates and lets people hold the medals. For conferences, awards nights and motivational events, Petria Thomas pairs one of the great Australian sporting records with the warmth to make it feel personal.