Hammer Ace Julia Ratcliffe Calls Time On Her Distinguished Career

Three-time Commonwealth Games hammer medallist Julia Ratcliffe has announced her retirement from the sport.

The 29-year-old, who memorably claimed a gold medal at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and finished ninth in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic final, has decided to step away from athletics after enjoying a fulfilling career at the highest level.

Julia said of her retirement: “I’ve done all the senior competitions available to me. I know I can throw further, but I also know what that would take out of me. The extra joy that would come from throwing another 50cm is not worth the blood, sweat and tears of all that hard training anymore. I look back with huge fondness on my time in the sport, I just now want to try something new.

“When my career achievements are written down, it is quite overwhelming. I still think of myself as a kid from Hamilton who throws hammers in the backyard with dad. To think I went on to perform as a high-performance international athlete, and what dad (and coach, Dave) and I went on to achieve together is very cool.”

Born and raised in Hamilton, Julia took up athletics with Hamilton City Hawks at the age “of six or seven” and she initially excelled as a hurdler, claiming the gold medal at the North Island Colgate Games. However, she found her true athletics after she was introduced to hammer at the age of 12.

Coached throughout her career by her father, Dave, she found an aptitude for the discipline and in 2009 – at the age of 15 – she was selected for the World U18 Championships in Bressanone, Italy, where she placed tenth.

Julia continued to progress through her teenage years and aged 17 she won the first of her six senior national hammer titles in Dunedin. The following year she impressed at the World U20 Championships in Barcelona, finishing fourth with a national senior record of 67.00m - only 13cm shy of a podium spot.

Her success as a youth and junior “lit the fire” for her senior career and offered invaluable experiences she could take into the next phase of her athletic development.

A head girl and dux at Waikato Diocesan School for Girls in 2011 she moved on to the US to study at the prestigious Princeton University.

The following year she improved on her national women’s hammer record with a best of 68.80m and in 2014 enjoyed a memorable competitive year. In April, she launched the 4kg hammer beyond 70m for the first time, bettering her New Zealand record with a best of 70.28m and later that year proved her competitive mettle by striking gold at the NCAA Championships and winning a silver medal, aged just 21, at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games with 69.96m.

Julia continued to earn more precious metal in 2015 adding an NCAA silver medal and a World University Games bronze medal with 67.54m in Gwangju.

Graduating from Princeton University in 2017 with a degree in economics later that year she made her World Championship debut in London, placing 26th overall.

After many months struggling with a shoulder injury in 2018 she managed to bounce back to strike gold at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games with a best of 69.94m. It was an outstanding performance from Julia, who showed her mental fortitude to deliver when it counted, and she rates her performance in Gold Coast as one of the two highlights of her career.

“Nothing can quite beat that feeling of standing on top the podium, seeing the flag go up, hearing the national anthem, knowing you are the reason why that anthem is being played,” she recalls. “It was very special.”

The Kiwi enjoyed more success in 2019, firing the hammer out to an Oceania record of 71.39m to win gold at the Oceania Championships in Townsville. Later than year she missed out on a spot in the final at the 2019 World Championships in Doha by just two places, finishing 14th in qualification with a best of 70.45m.

Julia continued her upwardly mobile career in 2020, posting an Oceania record toss of 72.35m at her home venue in Hamilton and secured a fifth national senior title in Christchurch.

The Waikato-raised athlete enjoyed the best distances of her career in 2021. At the New Zealand Track & Field Championships in Hastings she twice bettered her PB, capped by a stunning Oceania record mark of 73.55m before later that year impressing on her Olympic debut in Tokyo. Powering the hammer out to 73.20m she placed sixth in qualification before finishing ninth in the final with a best of 72.69m – an experience she puts on a par with her Commonwealth success in Gold Coast.

“I was immensely satisfied with how I performed in Tokyo,” she explains. “Having waited a year because of the postponed Games to finally get there and technically own my first qualification throw, I am so proud.”

In the final year of her competitive career, Julia finished 16th in qualification at the World Championships in Eugene before she capped her career in style, winning a silver medal at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games with a best of 69.63m – to win a third successive Commonwealth medal.

In Birmingham, she was one of three proud Kiwis competing in the women’s hammer alongside Lauren Bruce and Nicole Bradley.

Besides her trio of Commonwealth medals, Julia snared six national senior women’s hammer titles and set eight national senior women hammer records. She currently owns the New Zealand allcomers and resident records in the women’s hammer with her 73.55m set in Hastings in March 2021.

Based in Auckland, where she works for the Reserve Bank, Julia hopes to pursue other interests in future. As a member of the Athletics NZ High Performance Athletes’ Commission, she will stay connected to the sport and is looking forward to following the fortunes of the Kiwi athletes throughout the summer campaign and beyond.

Yet her biggest debt of gratitude is reserved for dad and coach, Dave.

“Dave has been the mastermind and driver of this whole project,” says Julia. “I wouldn’t have picked up a hammer had dad not suggested it, and he has taken me to higher heights than I ever dreamed possible. Big kudos to him for dreaming big and staying the course. For having that long term vision and dedication and perseverance to show up each year.”

Athletics NZ High Performance Manager Scott Newman said: “Julia has been a core member of our teams for the last eight years or so and one of the best athletes to have on the team. A morale enthusiast, valued and respected for her support and leadership amongst team members, she knew how to compete. We had confidence that she would rise to the occasion, and with her dad (Dave) as coach, she made the most of her opportunities.

“Her trio of Commonwealth Games medals makes her one of New Zealand’s most successful Commonwealth track and field athletes and she leaves the competitive side of our sport with our very best wishes. We know that she will remain connected to our sport and will continue in her role with the Athletics NZ High Performance Athletes’ Commission.”

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