Zsuzsanna Pethő started her sports career as a track and field athlete with Győri Dózsa, while she also played as a winger on the high school handball team. At the age of 17, due to an injury to their goalkeeper she took over that role, which became her permanent position. Starting in 1963 she was the goalkeeper for Györi ETO, then played for Tatabánya in 1968-78, and in 1978-86 she was with Tatai Honvéd.
In 1971 Pethő won a silver medal in the Hungarian Cup, and in 1967 she was a member of the Hungarian team at the Junior World Championships. Between 1973 and 1976, she was capped 73 times, winning bronze medals at both the 1975 World Championships and the 1976 Montreal Olympics. During and after her sports career, Pethő worked as a financial manager at the Tatabánya Coal Mines.
Hungary