Jane Colebrook

Who is Jane Colebrook?

Katrina Jane Colebrook, known as Jane Colebrook and Jane Finch during her career, is a former British middle distance runner who specialised in the 800 metres. She equalled the world record to win at the 1977 European Athletics Indoor Championships and later won a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games and a silver medal at the IAAF World Indoor Games.

She started out as a sprinter and won the under-15s 200 metres race at the 1972 Amateur Athletics Association 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. She was the winner of the intermediate 800 m race at the 1974 English Schools Championships. In December 1976 she ran a British indoor junior record of 2:05.0 minutes for the 800 m.

Colebrook 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.