Jean Thompson (athlete)

Jean Thompson (married Barker; * October 15, 1910 in Toronto, † 1976) was a Canadian athlete.

She grew up in Penetanguishene in southern Ontario. In 1927, she was at the Canadian Championships over 100 meters and third in the high jump. Your trainer Lucien A. Wendling recognized her talent and perseverance prepared them on the 800 -meter run, which was a part of the program of the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam.

On July 2, 1928, she was in Halifax Canadian champion over this distance and thus qualified for the Games. Your time would be of 2:21,4 min once been world record three weeks because only the Swede Inga Gentzel ( 2:20,4 minutes on June 16, 1928) and the German Lina Radke ( 2:19,6 min on 1 July 1928 ) were previously faster.

In Amsterdam she was injured a week before the competition, but went anyway with bandaged leg and won her lead in 2:23,2 min. In the final, she worked with a 2:21,4 min her personal best and finished fourth behind Radke ( 2:16,8 min), the Japanese Kinue Hitomi ( 2:17,6 min) and Gentzel ( 2:17,8 min ), all of whom remained under the old world record.