Cleone Patricia Rivett-Carnac (21 April 1933 – 20 January 2003) was a New Zealand javelin thrower.
Born in 1933, Rivett-Carnac was the daughter of Nelson Charles Rivett-Carnac and Bertha Ella Inez Rivett-Carnac (née Litt).[1][2] Her great-grandfather, Charles Rivett-Carnac, and his second wife, Frances Rivett-Carnac, were the first husband and wife to win Olympic gold medals.[3][4] Her great-great-great grandfather, Sir James Rivett-Carnac, 1st Baronet, was the Governor of the Bombay Presidency of British India from 1838 to 1841.[5][6]
Trained by her father,[7] Rivett-Carnac won the New Zealand national javelin title five times: in 1949, 1951, 1952, 1953, and 1954.[8] Her winning streak was interrupted by Yvette Williams, who won the championship in 1950.[8] Rivett-Carnac held the New Zealand javelin record from 1948 to 1950.[7]
At the 1950 British Empire Games in Auckland, she won the bronze medal in the javelin throw,[9] with Yvette Williams finishing second in the same event.[7]
Rivett-Carnac also represented Napier in field hockey, netball, and basketball.[7]
Rivett-Carnac worked as a public servant.[10] She began playing golf in 1963, and went on to represent Hawke's Bay/Poverty Bay in that sport.[7]
She died at her home in Napier on 20 January 2003,[7] and her ashes were buried at Napier's Western Hills Cemetery.[10]
In 2007, Rivett-Carnac was inducted into the Hawke's Bay sporting legends hall of fame.[11] Napier Girls' High School awards the Cleone Rivett-Carnac Cup for outstanding sporting achievement.[12]
