View source for Kerri Pottharst

{{Short description|Australian volleyball player (born 1965)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2018}}
{{Use Australian English|date=April 2018}}
{{Infobox volleyball biography
| name             = Kerri Pottharst
| image            = Womens beach volleyball.jpg
| caption          = Pottharst (right) and [[Natalie Cook]]
| fullname         = Kerri Ann Pottharst
| birth_date       = {{birth-date and age|25 June 1965}}
| birth_place      = [[Adelaide]], [[South Australia]], Australia
| medaltemplates   = <!-- See [[Template:MedalSport]] -->
{{MedalSport | Women's [[beach volleyball]] }}
{{MedalCountry | {{AUS}} }}
{{MedalCompetition | [[Olympic Games]] }}
{{MedalGold | [[2000 Summer Olympics|2000 Sydney]] | [[Beach volleyball at the 2000 Summer Olympics|Beach]] }}
{{MedalBronze | [[1996 Summer Olympics|1996 Atlanta]] |  [[Beach volleyball at the 1996 Summer Olympics|Beach]] }}
}}

'''Kerri Ann Pottharst [[Order of Australia|OAM]]''' (born 25 June 1965) is an Australian former professional [[beach volleyball]] player and [[Summer Olympics|Olympic]] gold medallist.

Pottharst was born in [[Adelaide]], [[South Australia]], and currently resides in [[Sydney]].
In addition to her previous volleyball commitments, Pottharst is an accomplished speaker, MC and presenter. She runs corporate team-building programs, and commentates Indoor and Beach Volleyball. She also founded "[https://www.theathletestory.com.au/ The Athlete Story]" - a speaker training business.

== Sporting career ==

Pottharst began playing indoor volleyball in 1982 and by 1990 was recognised as one of the best volleyball players in Australia. A serious knee injury in 1992 forced her off the hard court and she began playing beach volleyball.

She partnered with [[Natalie Cook]], and together they represented Australia at the [[1996 Summer Olympics|Atlanta Olympics]] in 1996, winning a bronze medal—the very first time that beach volleyball had been an Olympic sport. In the same year, the pair won a silver medal at the world championships and came first in the World Tour Event in Japan.

Cook and Pottharst split for a few years afterwards, but they reunited in time for the [[2000 Summer Olympics|Sydney Olympics]]. Before the games, they finished third in the World Tour Events in France and Portugal. At the Games themselves, the pair dominated the competition, taking out the gold medal. In the aftermath of their Olympic win, the pair were awarded the [[Order of Australia]], Australia's highest honor. Cook and Pottharst were included in the [[Fédération Internationale de Volleyball]]'s Team of the Decade.

After the 2000 Olympics, Pottharst retired, but she decided to come out of retirement and return to competition until she suffered a career-ending knee injury.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Knee damage forces Pottharst to retire|url=https://www.theage.com.au/sport/knee-damage-forces-pottharst-to-retire-20030326-gdvfpq.html|access-date=2021-08-05|website=amp.theage.com.au}}</ref> According to worldwide beach volleyball statistics, Pottharst had never been outside of the top 10 and rarely outside of the top six in International Beach Volleyball events since 1994 until her final retirement in 2003.

Pottharst appeared on the Nine Network's TV reality show ''[[Celebrity Circus (Australian TV series)|Celebrity Circus]]'' in 2005, in which she trained with stars of Australia's [[Silvers Circus]].

==References==
{{Reflist}}
* {{Beach Volleyball Database|1253}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
* {{Official website|http://www.kerripottharst.com/}}
* {{FIVB beach player}}
* {{Olympics.com profile|kerri-pottharst}}
* {{AOC profile|kerri-pottharst}}
* {{SR/Olympics profile|po/kerri-ann-pottharst-1}}

{{NavigationOlympicChampionsBeachVolleyball}}
{{Volleyball Hall of Fame members}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pottharst, Kerri}}
[[Category:1965 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Australian women's beach volleyball players]]
[[Category:Olympic beach volleyball players for Australia]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for Australia]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists for Australia]]
[[Category:Olympic medalists in beach volleyball]]
[[Category:Beach volleyball players at the 1996 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Beach volleyball players at the 2000 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Beach volleyball players at the 2004 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia]]
[[Category:Australian people of German descent]]
[[Category:Volleyball players from Adelaide]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Sportswomen from South Australia]]
[[Category:International Volleyball Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:20th-century Australian sportswomen]]
[[Category:21st-century Australian sportswomen]]


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