Melanie Anne Jones (born ) is a former New Zealand

swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...

. She won a bronze medal competing for her country at the

1982 Commonwealth Games The 1982 Commonwealth Games were held in Brisbane, Australia, from 30 September to 9 October 1982. The Opening Ceremony was held at the QEII Stadium (named after Elizabeth II), in the Brisbane suburb of Nathan. The QEII Stadium was also the a ...

Swimming

A member of the Wharenui Swimming Club in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

specialising in backstroke, Jones represented New Zealand at the

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...

and

. She was also selected in the New Zealand swimming team for the

1980 Summer Olympics The 1980 Summer Olympics (russian: Летние Олимпийские игры 1980, Letniye Olimpiyskiye igry 1980), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad (russian: Игры XXII Олимпиады, Igry XXII Olimpiady) and commo ...

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

, but she was unable to compete because of the partial boycott by New Zealand. At the 1978 Commonwealth Games, Jones was ninth-fastest in the heats of the women's 100 metres backstroke and did not progress to the final. However, in the women's 200 metres backstroke, she was the sixth-fastest swimmer in qualifying, and went on the finish seventh in the final. She was also a member of the New Zealand women's 4×100 metres freestyle relay team—with Andrea Hawcridge, Penny McCarthy, and

Rebecca Perrott Rebecca Vivian Mary Perrott (born 20 June 1961) is a swimmer from New Zealand, who won the gold medal in the women's 200 metres freestyle at the 1978 Commonwealth Games. She was fourth in the women's 400m freestyle at the 1976 Summer Olympi ...

—that was disqualified and finished sixth in the final. Four years later, at the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, Jones competed in the same three events. She was 11th and 10th, respectively, in the heats of the 100 metres and 200 metres backstroke, and consequently did not qualify for the finals. Swimming with

Gail Jonson Gail Michelle Jonson (born 4 April 1965 in Hamilton, New Zealand) is a former medley and butterfly swimmer from New Zealand, who won a bronze medal in the women's 4 × 100 m freestyle relay at the 1982 Commonwealth Games. She also represe ...

Kim Dewar Kim Dewar is a former New Zealand swimmer. She won a bronze medal competing for her country at the 1982 Commonwealth Games. A member of the Wharenui Swimming Club in Christchurch specialising in breaststroke and individual medley, Dewar repr ...

, and

Pamela Croad Pamela Croad is a former New Zealand swimmer. She won a bronze medal competing for her country at the 1982 Commonwealth Games. A member of the Levin Swimming Club, Croad represented New Zealand at the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane. In th ...

in the women's 4×100 metres freestyle relay, she won a bronze medal.

Later life

Jones retired from competitive swimming after the Brisbane Commonwealth Games, and became a lawyer in Christchurch. In 1990, she married canoeist Geoff Walker, who was one of only four New Zealanders to compete at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. The couple had four children, before Walker suffered a brain tumour in 1997 and died 10 months later.

References

1960s births Living people Swimmers from Christchurch New Zealand female backstroke swimmers New Zealand female freestyle swimmers Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for New Zealand Swimmers at the 1978 Commonwealth Games Swimmers at the 1982 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games medallists in swimming Medallists at the 1982 Commonwealth Games 21st-century New Zealand women lawyers 21st-century New Zealand lawyers 20th-century New Zealand women lawyers 20th-century New Zealand lawyers {{NewZealand-swimming-bio-stub