Olympic gold medallist visits retirement home (From Watford Observer)

Olympic gold medallist visits McCarthy & Stone home in Nanterre Court, Watford

4:50pm Thursday 14th February 2013 in News By Adam Binnie, Senior Reporter

A British Olympic gold medallist visited a retirement home in Watford, to talk about her sporting career.

Dame Mary Peters visited the McCarthy & Stone building in Nanterre Court, Hempstead Road, for an informal luncheon and after dinner speech between 11am and 2pm on Wednesday (February 13).

The 1972 Olympic Games pentathlon gold medallist shared stories about her illustrious career as one of Britain’s best known track and field athletes.

Dame Mary Peters was born in Liverpool, and moved to Ballymena, Northern Ireland aged 11.

Her career as an international athlete spanned nearly two decades, in both the pentathlon and the shot-put.

She performed at a consistently high standing in international competitions, achieving 4th place in the 1964 Olympic Games, 2nd in the shot at the 1966 Commonwealth Games, and 1st in the pentathlon in both the 1970 and 1974 Commonwealth Games.

Her biggest achievement came in 1972 when she won pentathlon gold at the Olympic Games in Munich.

Since retiring from track and field, Dame Peters has worked as a team manager for the British Women’s Athletic Team, Women's Committee member for the International Amateur Athletics Federation, President of the British Athletics Federation and Patron of the Northern Ireland Amateur Athletic Federation.