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Jean Charlotte Spencer (later Lang, born 10 June 1940) is a New Zealand Olympic gymnast. Born in the United Kingdom, she now lives in Australia.

Private life

Spencer was born in 1940 in Woodford, now Greater London, Great Britain, but part of Essex at the time of her birth. She received her secondary education at Epsom Girls' Grammar School in Auckland, New Zealand, where she was dux. She attended Auckland University College and graduated Master of Science with Honours in physics in 1964. She later moved to Australia. In 2013, Lang and another Epsom Girls' Grammar School alumna established an annual prize for excellence in physics so that the recipients can enrol at a university to study physics or engineering.

Gymnastics career

Spencer represented her country at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, in gymnastics. In the vault, she came 76th. In the floor exercise, she was 81st. On the uneven bars, she came 75th. On the balance beam, she was 79th. In the Women's individual all-around, she was ranked 78th of 86 competitors. She is listed as New Zealand Olympic competitor number 200. It would be 20 years—1984— before the next New Zealand gymnast, Tanya Moss, would represent the country at another Summer Olympics.

Lang was later on the national committee of the Australian Gymnastic Federation. She was the co-ordinator for elite gymnasts in New South Wales for the NSW Gymnastic Association and a judge at gymnastics competitions. She was made a life member of Gymnastics New South Wales in 2010.

References

1. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Jean Spencer". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
2. ^ "Physics prize promises positive future" (PDF) (Press release). Auckland: Epsom Girls' Grammar School. 4 November 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 January 2019. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
3. "Jean Lang". New Zealand Olympic Committee. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
4. Barclay, Chris (8 July 2016). "Solitary Kiwi gymnast at Los Angeles Olympics rapt for Rio-bound Courtney McGregor". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
5. "2002 Annual Report" (PDF). Gymnastics Australia. 2003. p. 19. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
6. "Gymnastics New South Wales 2007 Annual Report" (PDF). www.gymnsw.org.au. Gymnastics New South Wales. 2008. pp. 6, 16. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
7. "Our Life Members". Gymnastics NSW. Retrieved 1 September 2017.

• Living people
• People from Woodford, London
• Sportspeople from the London Borough of Redbridge
• 1940 births
• Olympic gymnasts for New Zealand
• Gymnasts at the 1964 Summer Olympics
• New Zealand female artistic gymnasts
• People educated at Epsom Girls' Grammar School
• University of Auckland alumni
• 21st-century New Zealand physicists
• Australian sports executives and administrators
• English emigrants to New Zealand
• New Zealand emigrants to Australia
• New Zealand women physicists
• 21st-century New Zealand women scientists
• 20th-century New Zealand sportswomen