Jeanette Mary Barker (née Laws, born ) is a New Zealand diver who represented her country at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. In more recent years she has competed in international masters swimming and diving championships.
Early life and diving career Born Jeanette Mary Laws, Barker was born in about 1933, and educated at Napier Girls' High School. She started diving when she was at intermediate school, and competed in both swimming and diving until she was 15 years old, when she decided to concentrate on the latter. After she left school, Laws spent two years living in Auckland and Dunedin where she received specialist diving coaching, while working in accounting.
Representing Hawke's Bay, Laws went on to win the New Zealand national women's diving championship five times—in 1951 and then in four consecutive years from 1953 to 1956—as well as the national women's tower diving title in 1954 and 1955. At the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Vancouver, Laws finished fifth in the women's 3 m springboard, and fourth in the women's 10 m platform diving events.
Later life Later in the 1950s, Laws retired from diving to marry Peter Barker and raise a family. She ran her own swimming school for eight years, and returned to competitive swimming and diving in the 1980s, competing at six FINA World Masters Championships.
FINA World Masters Championships results for Jeanette BarkerYearMeetLocationAge groupEventRank 1986 1st FINA World Masters Championships Tokyo 50–54 years Women's 50 m freestyle 13 Women's 400 m freestyle 18 Women's 50 m breaststroke 13 Women's 100 m breaststroke 9 Women's 200 m breaststroke 8 1988 2nd FINA World Masters Championships Brisbane 50–54 years Women's 50 m breaststroke 21 Women's 100 m breaststroke 17 50–59 years Women's 1 m springboard 4 Women's 3 m springboard Women's platform 1990 3rd FINA World Masters Championships Rio de Janeiro 55–59 years Women's 50 m breaststroke 21 Women's 100 m breaststroke 6 Women's 200 m breaststroke 7 Women's 1 m springboard Women's 3 m springboard 50–59 years Women's platform 1998 7th FINA World Masters Championships Casablanca 65–69 years Women's 50 m breaststroke 6 Women's 100 m breaststroke 6 Women's 1 m springboard Women's 3 m springboard Women's platform 2002 9th FINA World Masters Championships Christchurch 65–69 years Women's 100 m freestyle 23 Women's 200 m freestyle 11 Women's 50 m breaststroke 12 Women's 100 m breaststroke 11 Women's 200 m breaststroke 8 Women's 1 m springboard Women's 3 m springboard 2004 10th FINA World Masters Championships Riccione 70–74 years Women's 100 m freestyle 10 Women's 50 m breaststroke 12 Women's 200 m breaststroke 6 Women's 1 m springboard 4 Women's 3 m springboard Women's tower
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