Suzy's Story
Suzy Batkovic won consecutive silver medals as a member of the Australian women’s basketball team in 2004 and 2008 before winning bronze in London. From New South Wales, Batkovic’s ability and strength in the frontcourt as either a centre or power forward made her a valuable player for the Opals. In Batkovic’s first two tournaments, Australia won seven straight matches to reach the gold medal final, only to lose to arch-rival the United States. In fact, Beijing marked the third consecutive Olympic final in which the Opals had lost to the US after being undefeated in the preliminary round, quarter-final and semi-final phases.
Heading to her third Games in London, Batkovic and the Australian’s chances for gold took a hit after a costly 74-70 overtime loss to France saw the Australians finish second in their pool. After defeating China in the quarter-final (75-60), they faced the USA earlier than expected for a berth in the gold medal match.
As they had done in three previous Olympic campaigns, the world number one USA beat the Australians (86-73) and went on to take gold over the French. Australia faced Russia for the bronze, winning 83-74 to continue the Opals’ strong Olympic record. Batkovic was the third highest scorer (11 per game) and second highest rebounder (6 per game) for the Australians in London.
Batkovic has also enjoyed an outstanding professional career with clubs in Australia, the US and Europe.
