Jean Whitehead

Jean Whitehead
Personal information
NationalityBritish (English)
BornQ3. 1937
Southport, England
Sport
SportAthletics
Event
long jump
ClubLiverpool Harriers
London Olympiades AC

Jean Whitehead (born 1937) is a female former athlete who competed for England.

Biography

Whitehead was educated at Southport High School and joined Liverpool Harriers & AC in 1953[1] and aged just 18 established a new record of 18 ft 9ins (5.71 m) in winning the Northern Senior title in 1955.[2]

Whitehead finished third behind Jean Desforges in the long jump event at the 1954 WAAA Championships[3][4] and repeated the performance twice more at the 1956 WAAA Championships and 1957 WAAA Championships but this time behind Sheila Hoskin and Christina Persighetti respectively.[5][6]

Whitehead represented England[7] in the long jump at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, Wales.[8][9]

In 1962 she was teaching physical education at Finchley School.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b "Jean Whitehead London Olympiades". Liverpool Echo. 10 May 1962. p. 14. Retrieved 22 November 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  2. ^ "Club history" (PDF). Liverpool Harriers & AC.
  3. ^ "Diane is a Real Smasher". Sunday Mirror. 20 June 1954. Retrieved 16 February 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. ^ "AAA, WAAA and National Championships Medallists". National Union of Track Statisticians. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
  5. ^ "AAA Championships (women)". GBR Athletics. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
  6. ^ "Schoolgirls Jolt Olympic Jump Star". Weekly Dispatch (London). 7 July 1957. Retrieved 19 February 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. ^ "Marion jumps into Games". Daily Mirror. 12 June 1958. p. 20. Retrieved 28 September 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. ^ "Athletes and results". Commonwealth Games Federation. Archived from the original on 26 July 2019. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
  9. ^ "1958 Athletes". Team England.