Jean Stewart (swimmer)

Jean Hurring (née Stewart, born 23 December 1930) is a former swimmer from New Zealand. She won a bronze medal in the 100 m backstroke at the 1952 Olympics.

Jean Stewart
Stewart in 1954
Personal information
Birth nameJean Stewart
Born (1930-12-23) 23 December 1930
Dunedin, New Zealand
EducationOtago Girls' High School
Spouse(s)
Lincoln Hurring
(m. 1957; died 1993)
RelativesGary Hurring (son)
Sport
SportSwimming
Achievements and titles
National finals100 yds backstroke: 1st (1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1956)
220 yds backstroke: 1st (1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954)
100 yds butterfly: 1st (1953)[1]
Medal record
Representing  New Zealand
Olympic Games
1952 Helsinki 100 m backstroke
Commonwealth Games
1950 Auckland 110 yards backstroke
1954 Vancouver 110 yards backstroke

Biography

Born in Dunedin in 1930,[2] Stewart was educated at Otago Girls' High School.[3] When she was active as a swimmer, New Zealand had no swimming coach, and Stewart was mentored by Bill Wallace, who she describes as an "enthusiast". Wallace had an interest in horse racing and from that, Stewart adopted interval training as an innovation. She had also set up a pulley system in her bedroom for weight training that was specific to swimming.[4] She represented her native country at two consecutive Summer Olympics, 1952 and 1956. In 1952 she won the bronze medal in the women's 100 metres backstroke at the Helsinki Games.[5] She shared a room in Helsinki with the only other New Zealand female competitor, Yvette Williams, who was also from Dunedin.[4]

Stewart also won medals in the 110 yards backstroke at the Empire Games; silver in 1950 and bronze in 1954. As of 2016, she remains the only New Zealand woman to have won an Olympic swimming medal.[4]

Stewart married fellow Dunedin swimmer Lincoln Hurring after the Helsinki Games, and they settled in Auckland.[6] Their son is world silver medalist swimmer Gary Hurring.[4] As of 2016, Hurring lives in a retirement village in Takapuna on Auckland's North Shore.[4] Her son keeps her Olympic medal.[4]

Stewart is one of the eight New Zealand pool swimmers who have been inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame; the ninth inductee, Barrie Devenport, is an ocean swimmer. Stewart is the only pool swimmer inducted who has not won a gold medal at either the Olympics or at Commonwealth Games. Her son is one of the other inductees.[7]

See also

References
  1. McLintock, A.H., ed. (1966). "Swimming—national championships". An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
  2. "Jean Hurring". New Zealand Olympic Committee. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  3. McMurran, Alistair (20 November 2009). "Otago Girls High School honours its Olympians". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
  4. Rattue, Chris (11 August 2016). "Rio Olympics 2016: Barracking for Boyle". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
  5. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Jean Stewart". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 4 December 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  6. McMurran, Alistair (29 October 2011). "Greatest moments in Otago sport - Number 13". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  7. McBeth, John (9 July 2013). "Swimming - Great swimmers". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
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