Kathy Watt
Encyclopedia
Kathryn Ann Watt (born 11 September 1964) is an Australia
n racing cyclist who won two medals at the 1992 Summer Olympics
in Barcelona, Spain (gold in the road race, and silver in the pursuit).
She has won 24 national championships in road racing, track racing, and mountain bike, four Commonwealth Games
gold medals, and came third in the world time trial championship. She was made a life member of Blackburn Cycling Club in 1990.
The daughter of marathoner Geoff Watt
, Kathy Watt turned first to running, winning the national junior 3 km championship. She began to train on a bike after achilles tendon
problems. For a while, she competed in duathlon (running and cycling), but found she was a better cyclist than runner.
In 1996, Watt was in a legal dispute with the Australian Cycling Federation
over who would race the pursuit in the Olympic Games. Watt had been told that she would be but was replaced a few days before the event by Lucy Tyler-Sharman
. Watt appealed to the International Court of Arbitration for Sport
, claiming a breach of contract. The court ordered Watt to be reinstated in the race.
Following the Games, comments about her by Australian head coach Charlie Walsh
led to a series of defamation lawsuits, which Watt won.
In 2000, Watt again became involved in a controversy over a selection, but this time she was not successful in her appeal to the CAS.
She retired after 2000 but came back three years later but was not successful in an attempt to qualify for the 2004 Olympics. After another retirement, Watt worked as a coach and personal trainer. However, she made another comeback to qualify for the 2006 Commonwealth Games
in Melbourne
, where she won a silver medal in the time trial. In January 2006, she won the time trial section of the Australian open road championship in Buninyong, Ballarat.
Watt holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Melbourne
, with a major in physiology and pathology. She studied nutrition, anatomy, and physiotherapy. She attended Tintern Church of England Girls' Grammar, now Tintern Girls Grammar School
.
1990
1992
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2005
2006
2007
2008
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n racing cyclist who won two medals at the 1992 Summer Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
in Barcelona, Spain (gold in the road race, and silver in the pursuit).
She has won 24 national championships in road racing, track racing, and mountain bike, four Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
gold medals, and came third in the world time trial championship. She was made a life member of Blackburn Cycling Club in 1990.
The daughter of marathoner Geoff Watt
Geoff Watt
Geoff Watt was a local distance runner from Warragul, Victoria of some international note who died from exposure in 1969 while training on Mount Erica in Baw Baw National Park.* Major force behind Warragul Amateur Athletics Club....
, Kathy Watt turned first to running, winning the national junior 3 km championship. She began to train on a bike after achilles tendon
Achilles tendon
The Achilles tendon , also known as the calcaneal tendon or the tendo calcaneus, is a tendon of the posterior leg. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius and soleus muscles to the calcaneus bone.- Anatomy :The Achilles is the tendonous extension of 3 muscles in the lower leg:...
problems. For a while, she competed in duathlon (running and cycling), but found she was a better cyclist than runner.
In 1996, Watt was in a legal dispute with the Australian Cycling Federation
Australian Cycling Federation
Cycling Australia, the trading name of the Australian Cycling Federation Inc, is the national governing body for bicycle racing in Australia, and represents the interests of affiliated cycling clubs and State federations...
over who would race the pursuit in the Olympic Games. Watt had been told that she would be but was replaced a few days before the event by Lucy Tyler-Sharman
Lucy Tyler-Sharman
Lucy Tyler-Sharman is an Australian Olympic and World Champion cyclist.As a junior, Tyler was an gifted sportswoman, focussing on swimming at junior high school and later triathlons. She moved into criterium events while living in Florida and in 1988 made the move to velodrome events...
. Watt appealed to the International Court of Arbitration for Sport
Court of Arbitration for Sport
The Court of Arbitration for Sport is an international arbitration body set up to settle disputes related to sport. Its headquarters are in Lausanne and its courts are located in New York, Sydney and Lausanne, Switzerland...
, claiming a breach of contract. The court ordered Watt to be reinstated in the race.
Following the Games, comments about her by Australian head coach Charlie Walsh
Charlie Walsh
David Barry Vivian Walsh, better known just as Charlie Walsh, was the national coach for the Australian Cycling Federation at the Australian Institute of Sport from 1980 to 2001. He oversaw Australia's rise from between 20th and 30th in world track cycling to number one in 1993 and 1994...
led to a series of defamation lawsuits, which Watt won.
In 2000, Watt again became involved in a controversy over a selection, but this time she was not successful in her appeal to the CAS.
She retired after 2000 but came back three years later but was not successful in an attempt to qualify for the 2004 Olympics. After another retirement, Watt worked as a coach and personal trainer. However, she made another comeback to qualify for the 2006 Commonwealth Games
2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 15 March and 26 March 2006. It was the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams competing, athletes competing, and events being held.The site...
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, where she won a silver medal in the time trial. In January 2006, she won the time trial section of the Australian open road championship in Buninyong, Ballarat.
Watt holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
, with a major in physiology and pathology. She studied nutrition, anatomy, and physiotherapy. She attended Tintern Church of England Girls' Grammar, now Tintern Girls Grammar School
Tintern Girls Grammar School
Tintern Schools is an independent, Anglican day for girls and boys located in Ringwood East, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
.
Palmarès
Source:1990
- Commonwealth Games
- Road Race - 1st
- Track Pursuit - 2nd
- Giro d'Italia
- Final Overall GC - 3rd
- 1 stage victory
1992
- Olympic Games
- Road Race - Gold Medal
- 3 km Pursuit (track) - Silver
Australian Road Race Championships - 1st
1994
- Giro d'Italia
- Final Overall GC - 2nd
- 3 stage victories
- Giro del Piave - 1st
- Canberra Stage Race
- Final Overall GC - 1st
- 5 stage victories
1995
- World Time Trial Championship - 3rd
1996
- Australian Championships
- Road Race - 2nd place
- Time Trial - 1st place
1997
- Oceania Championships
- Road Race - 2nd place
- Time Trial - 1st place
1998
- World Time Trial Championship - 6th
- GP des Nations Time Trial - 2nd
- Grande Boucle (Tour Cycliste Féminin)
- stage 12b - 3rd
- Tour Féminin de Bretagne
- Overall - 2nd
- Prologue - 2nd
- stage 1 - 1st
- stage 5 - 2nd
- Grazia Tour
- Overall - 2nd
- stage 2 - 2nd
- stage 3 - 3rd
- stage 4 - 1st
- Tour de l'Aude
- Overall - 7th
- Prologue (Gruissan) - 2nd
- stage 5 (Castelnaudary TT)- 2nd
- stage 6a (Axat to Belcaire) - 2nd
- GP Presov and Pravda
- Overall - 1st
- stage 1 (TT) - 1st
- stage 2 (Criterium) - 2nd
- stage 3 (Road Race) - 3rd
- stage 4 (Road Race) - 3rd
1999
- Tour de 'Toona
- Overall - 2nd
- stage 2 - 3rd
- stage 4 - 2nd
- stage 5 - 1st
- Grazia Tour
- Overall - 7th
- stage 3 - 3rd
- Women's Challenge
- stage 4 (Sun Valley Time Trial) - 5th
- stage 9 (Burley to Buhl) - 2nd
- Tour de Snowy
- stage 5 - 3rd
2005
- Chrono Champenois - 1st
- GP International Feminin Bretagne (cat. 2) - 2nd GC
- Thuringen-Rundfahrt (cat. 1) - stage
2006
- Commonwealth Games
- Individual road time trial - 2nd
- Australian Open Road Championship Time Trial - 1st
2007
- Australian Open Road Championship
- Time Trial - 2nd
- Road Race - 9th
2008
- Australian Open Road Championship
- Time Trial - 4th
- Road Race - 19th