Jean Catherine Desforges (born 4 July 1929) is a retired female athlete from Great Britain

Great Britain

Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

, who competed mainly in the 80 metres hurdles and long jump.

She competed for Great Britain in the 1952 Summer Olympics

1952 Summer Olympics

The 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Helsinki, Finland in 1952. Helsinki had been earlier given the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were cancelled due to World War II...

 held in Helsinki

Helsinki

Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...

, Finland

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

, where she finished 5th in the 80m Hurdles and in the 4 x 100 metres where she won the bronze medal with her team mates Sylvia Cheeseman

Sylvia Cheeseman

Sylvia Cheeseman is a British athlete who competed mainly in the 100 metres.She competed for Great Britain in the 1952 Summer Olympics held in Helsinki, Finland in the 4 x 100 metres where she won the bronze medal with her team mates June Foulds, Jean Desforges and Heather Armitage.-References:...

, June Foulds

June Foulds

June Foulds is a British athlete who competed mainly in the 100 metres.She competed for Great Britain in the 1952 Summer Olympics held in Helsinki, Finland where she won the Bronze medal in the 4 x 100 metres with her team mates Sylvia Cheeseman, Jean Desforges and Heather Armitage.She returned...

 and Heather Armitage

Heather Armitage

Heather Joy Armitage is a British athlete who competed in sprint events.She competed for Great Britain in the 1956 Summer Olympics held in Melbourne, Australia where she won the silver medal in the 4 x 100 metres with her team mates Anne Pashley, Jean Scrivens and June Foulds...

.

In 1953, Jean Desforges became the first British woman to long jump over 20 feet, when jumping 6.10 m in Nienburg

Nienburg

There are two towns named Nienburg in Germany.*Nienburg, Lower Saxony*Nienburg, Saxony-AnhaltThe Name Nienburg means "Neue Burg" ....

, Germany.

She was European Champion in the long jump, in the 1954 European Championships in Berne Switzerland, with a leap of 6.04m. At the same games Desforges finished 6th in the 80m Hurdles.

In the 1950 European Championships in Brussels, Desforges finished 5th in the 80m hurdles and was part of the gold medal winning 4x 100m Relay team, and remains the only British athlete to have won a European gold medal in both a Track and a Field event.

In the 1954 Commonwealth Games in Vancouver, Canada, Desforges won a bronze medal in both the long jump and 80m Hurdles.

British Champion: 80m Hurdles in 1949, 1952, 1953 and 1954. Long Jump in 1953 and 1954. Pentathlon in 1953 and 1954.

Married Ron Pickering, noted Coach and TV Commentator, on 23 October 1954, in Forest Gate, London. Daughter: Kim, (b. 1958), Son: Shaun (b. 1961)