Jane Colebrook

Born Jane Colebrook in Lincolnshire, she started out as a sprinter and won the under-15s 200 metres race at the 1972 AAAs Junior Championships, with her sister Teena, at Yarborough School in Caistor,Grimsby Evening Telegraph Saturday 15 July 1972, page 10 living in Nettleton.Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph Saturday 19 March 1977, page 10

She stepped up to longer distances over the next two years, winning both indoor and outdoor under-17s title in the 400 metres and 800 metres.[http://www.gbrathletics.com/bc/waaaj.htm AAA Junior Championships (Women)]. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2011-09-08.[http://www.gbrathletics.com/bc/aaaij.htm AAA Junior Indoor Championships (Women)]. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2011-09-08. She was the winner of the intermediate 800 m race at the 1974 English Schools Championships.[http://www.gbrathletics.com/bc/esg.htm English Schools Championships (Girls)]. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2011-09-08. In December 1976 she ran a British indoor junior record of 2:05.0 minutes for the 800 m (later bettered by Kirsty Wade in 1981).[http://www.gbrathletics.com/uk/iwu20.htm UK All-Time Lists: Junior Women - Indoors]. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2011-09-08.

She had her greatest achievement at the 1977 European Athletics Indoor Championships at the age of nineteen, where after qualifying for the final as one of the fastest losers she went on to beat Totka Petrova to win the 800 m gold medal with a world indoor record-equalling time of 2:01.1 minutes.[http://www.gbrathletics.com/ic/eiw.htm European Indoor Championships (Women)]. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2011-09-08.[http://www.espn.co.uk/onthisday/sport/story/88.html "March 13 down the years"]. ESPN. Retrieved on 2011-09-08.[http://www.maik-richter.de/results/indoor/europe/1977/f77_03.html Finale - 800 Meter - Frauen (13.03.1977)] {{in lang|de}}. Die Leichtathletik-Statistikseite. Retrieved on 2011-09-08. This time was a British indoor record for 26 years, becoming the longest-standing British record at one point, and was improved upon by Kelly Holmes in 2003.MacKay, Duncan (2003-02-10). [https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2003/feb/10/athletics.duncanmackay Oldest record falls to Holmes]. The Guardian. Retrieved on 2011-09-08. It remains the fastest ever time by a female British under-23 runner.[http://www.gbrathletics.com/uk/gbindage.htm UK Indoor Age Group Best Performances]. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2011-09-08. That July, she ran her lifetime best for the 800 m outdoors in Oulu, Finland, clocking a time of 2:00.6 minutes,[http://www.thepowerof10.info/athletes/profile.aspx?athleteid=40827 Jane Finch]. Power of 10. Retrieved on 2011-09-08. which made her the second best British performer in the event at that point, behind Rosemary Stirling.[http://www.thepowerof10.info/rankings/rankinglist.aspx?event=800&agegroup=ALL&sex=W&alltime=y 800 Women Overall All Time to 2:04.99]. Power of 10. Retrieved on 2011-09-08. Colebrook also won the women's title at the North of England Cross Country Championships that year.[http://www.gbrathletics.com/bc/neaao.htm North of England Cross Country Championships]. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2011-09-08.

She won a 400/800 m double at the UK Athletics Championships in 1978.[http://www.gbrathletics.com/bc/uk.htm UK Championships]. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2011-09-08. Colebrook went on to represent England in the latter event at the 1978 Commonwealth Games and won the bronze medal behind Judy Peckham and Tekla Chemabwai.[http://www.gbrathletics.com/ic/cgw.htm Commonwealth Games (Women)]. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2011-09-08.

When married, she moved to Aylesby in the 1980s, and ran for Cannock Chase, where she trained every Tuesday. She ran 23 miles each week in the summer, and 30 miles in the winter.Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph Thursday 7 June 1984Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph Saturday 19 August 1978, page 4

She won the final major medal of her career at the 1985 IAAF World Indoor Games, where she took the 800 m silver medal behind the Romanian Olympic medallist Cristieana Cojocaru.[http://www.gbrathletics.com/ic/wi.htm IAAF World Indoor Championships]. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2011-09-08. She brought her professional career to a close in order to focus on her family and raising her three children.[http://www.athleticsweekly.com/messageboard/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=248#p54890 Teena Colebrook]. Athletics Weekly/Jane Colebrook. Retrieved on 2011-09-08. She returned to competition as a masters athlete and won the over-35s 1500 metres title at the European Veterans Indoor Championships.[http://www.gbrathletics.com/ic/evci.htm European Veterans Indoor Championships]. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2011-09-08.

In her later career she was known under her married name Finch. She was later divorced, competing as Jane Colebrook again, and then remarried and ran as Jane Weston.[http://www.gbrathletics.com/uk/windex.pdf United Kingdom All Time Lists Women's Index (as at 25/03/06)]. Athletics Weekly (2006-03-25). Retrieved on 2011-09-08. She was coached by Dave Sunderland.[http://www.englandathletics.org/news.asp?itemTitle=Midlands+LCDP+ready+to+go§ion=000100010002001400010001&itemid=5104 Dave Sunderland to answer endurance questions] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120531195927/http://www.englandathletics.org/news.asp?itemTitle=Midlands%20LCDP%20ready%20to%20go§ion=000100010002001400010001&itemid=5104 |date=31 May 2012 }}. England Athletics (2010-10-27). Retrieved on 2011-09-08. Her sister, Teena Colebrook, was also a runner and won seven NCAA Division II titles in middle distance events for California Polytechnic State University.[http://www.gbrathletics.com/us.htm British Athletes in the USA]. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2011-09-08.

She married Terry Finch of Healing, in August 1979 at Caistor register office.Grimsby Evening Telegraph Tuesday 21 August 1979, page 2

Her older sister Teena had moved to Deeping St James by 1983.

Grimsby Evening Telegraph Monday 1 August 1983, page 11 Her sister Teena (born October 1956)Spalding Guardian Friday 6 February 1987, page 35 was a P E instructor for eight years in the WRAF until 1981, with her last three years at RAF Wittering, in 1980,Grimsby Evening Telegraph Saturday 4 October 1980, page 10 training at St Athan in 1975Glamorgan Gazette Friday 3 October 1975, page 11 Teena represented the UK in the 1500 metres in the 1990 European Championships.

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Category:Living people

Category:1957 births

Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1978 Commonwealth Games

Category:Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for England

Category:English female middle-distance runners

Category:British female middle-distance runners

Category:People from Caistor

Category:Sportspeople from Lincolnshire

Category:World record setters in athletics (track and field)

Category:World Athletics Indoor Championships medalists

Category:Medallists at the 1978 Commonwealth Games

Category:20th-century English sportswomen

Category:Commonwealth Games bronze medallists in athletics