Jane Colebrook

Katrina Jane Weston (née Colebrook, formerly Finch; born 8 November 1957)[1] is a former British middle distance runner who specialised in the 800 metres. Competing as Jane Colebrook, she equalled the world indoor best to win at the 1977 European Indoor Championships and won a bronze medal at the 1978 Commonwealth Games. Competing as Jane Finch, she won a silver medal at the 1985 World Indoor Games.

Jane Colebrook
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  Great Britain
World Indoor Games
1985 Paris800 m
European Indoor Championships
1977 San Sebastián800 m
Representing  England
Commonwealth Games
1978 Edmonton800 m

Career

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. 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.[2][3] She was the winner of the intermediate 800 m race at the 1974 English Schools Championships.[4] 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).[5]

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.[6][7][8] 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.[9] It remains the fastest ever time by a female British under-23 runner.[10] That July, she ran her lifetime best for the 800 m outdoors in Oulu, Finland, clocking a time of 2:00.6 minutes,[11] which made her the second best British performer in the event at that point, behind Rosemary Stirling.[12] Colebrook also won the women's title at the North of England Cross Country Championships that year.[13]

She won a 400/800 m double at the UK Athletics Championships in 1978.[14] 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.[15] 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.[16] She brought her professional career to a close in order to focus on her family and raising her three children.[17] She returned to competition as a masters athlete and won the over-35s 1500 metres title at the European Veterans Indoor Championships.[18]

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.[19] She was coached by Dave Sunderland.[20] Her sister, Teena Colebrook, was also a runner and won seven NCAA Division II titles in middle distance events for California Polytechnic State University.[21]

International competitions
Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
Representing  Great Britain /  England
1977 European Indoor Championships San Sebastián, Spain 1st 800 m 2:01.12
1978 Commonwealth Games Edmonton, Canada 3rd 800 m 2:03.10
1983 European Indoor Championships Budapest, Hungary 6th 800 m 2:03.21
1985 World Indoor Games Paris, France 2nd 800 m 2:04.71
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References
  1. Finch, Jane. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-09-08.
  2. AAA Junior Championships (Women). GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2011-09-08.
  3. AAA Junior Indoor Championships (Women). GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2011-09-08.
  4. English Schools Championships (Girls). GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2011-09-08.
  5. UK All-Time Lists: Junior Women - Indoors. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2011-09-08.
  6. European Indoor Championships (Women). GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2011-09-08.
  7. "March 13 down the years". ESPN. Retrieved on 2011-09-08.
  8. Finale - 800 Meter - Frauen (13.03.1977) (in German). Die Leichtathletik-Statistikseite. Retrieved on 2011-09-08.
  9. MacKay, Duncan (2003-02-10). Oldest record falls to Holmes. The Guardian. Retrieved on 2011-09-08.
  10. UK Indoor Age Group Best Performances. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2011-09-08.
  11. Jane Finch. Power of 10. Retrieved on 2011-09-08.
  12. 800 Women Overall All Time to 2:04.99. Power of 10. Retrieved on 2011-09-08.
  13. North of England Cross Country Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2011-09-08.
  14. UK Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2011-09-08.
  15. Commonwealth Games (Women). GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2011-09-08.
  16. IAAF World Indoor Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2011-09-08.
  17. Teena Colebrook. Athletics Weekly/Jane Colebrook. Retrieved on 2011-09-08.
  18. European Veterans Indoor Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2011-09-08.
  19. United Kingdom All Time Lists Women's Index (as at 25/03/06). Athletics Weekly (2006-03-25). Retrieved on 2011-09-08.
  20. Dave Sunderland to answer endurance questions Archived 31 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine. England Athletics (2010-10-27). Retrieved on 2011-09-08.
  21. British Athletes in the USA. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2011-09-08.
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