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PETRIA THOMAS WINS COMMONWEALTH GAMES GOLD MEDAL1 August 2002 Australian Institute of Sport Olympic gold medal swimmer Petria Thomas last night won a Commonwealth Games gold medal in Manchester. The AIS scholarship holder, who hails from Mullumbimby in northern NSW, won the 50m butterfly in a Games record time of 26.66sec with fellow Australian Nicole Irving winning the silver medal. 'It's a great feeling win gold in what is a big meet for me competing in eight events. I'm thrilled to have set a new Commonwealth Games record but even more that Australia has won both the gold and silver,' Thomas said. AIS Director Michael Scott praised Petria's tremendous achievement and the support given to her by the Institute and the Australian Sports Commission (ASC). 'Her result is an excellent illustration of the success of the AIS swimming program at the Institute - Australia's premier elite sporting organisation,' Scott said ' Petria's gold medal is also the result of a healthy Australian sports system and continued funding by the federal government through the ASC.' Petria's coach, Mark Regan, was equally as proud and paid tribute to her persistence and determination. 'To be the best in the Commonwealth takes hours and hours of training and perseverance,' Regan said. 'I know how much this means to Petria and she richly deserves her success.' Petria's Commonwealth Games effort builds on her already outstanding performance. Inducted into the AIS Swimming Hall of Fame in 1998, Petria last year won the 100m and 200m world butterfly championships. Contacts:
David Packwood, AIS Public Relations Officer 02 6214 1476 / 0408 417 894
*The AIS is a major program of the Australian Sports Commission and this year is celebrating 21 years of excellence
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