Jean Jeavons

She swam in the Grantham swimming gala,^[1] and lived in Gunby, South Kesteven in 1969, by 1969 she was winning national championships.^[2] She attended the Charles Read School.^[3] She could not compete for Leicestershire as she lived in Gunby,^[4] so by early 1970 her family moved to Buckminster in Leicestershire. By 1970 she attended Melton Upper School.^[5]

She trained at pools in Melton (mostly) and Grantham and Leicester.^[6] In early 1972, Melton pool closed for repairs, so most training was at Grantham, four mornings a week; other pools had closed for power cuts.^[7][8] Buckminster wanted to raise £500 for her expenses.^[9] By July 1972 Buckminster and Sewstern had raised £700. Buckminster Trust Estate gave the fund £100.^[10] In July 1972 she was selected for Olympics, under coach Hammie Bland.^[11]

Jeavons swam the Butterfly Stroke for Great Britain and the Melton Mowbray Swimming Club ^[12] where she became the county champion and broke the county record which remains to this day.^{[citation needed]}

She represented Great Britain at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich ^[13] competing in the women's 100- and 200-metre butterfly, and 4×100-metre medley relay, and came 20th,^[14] 9th,^[15] and 10th,^[16] respectively, missing out on a place in the 200-metre final by a single place and less than a second.^[17] On 4 September 1972, she took part in the 4 x 100 relay with Pamela Bairstow, Dorothy Harrison and Lesley Allardice who set a British record, but never reached the final.^[18][19]

She represented England in the 100 and 200 metres butterfly events, at the 1974 British Commonwealth Games in Christchurch, New Zealand.^[20][21][22] At the ASA National British Championships she won the 100 metres butterfly title in 1971 and 1972 ^[23][24] and the 200 metres butterfly title in 1972 and 1973.^[25][26]

She now lives in Dedham, Essex.

• Sport in Leicester