Joy Newman

Diver Joy Newman was educated at Queen´s College private girl´s school in Harley Street, London, and started swimming at the age if 13 when a coach spotted her somersaulting into a pool. After a successful junior career, she was selected for the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games at Perth, Australia. Newman won both the ASA national platform and springboard titles in 1963 but was beaten into second place by Frances Cramp in the platform event the following year. She was, however, still selected for the Tokyo Olympics. Sadly, nerves got the better of her in Tokyo and she fluffed her first dive and failed to make the platform final. During her time at London University, Newman attended the 1965 Summer Universiade at Budapest and won the platform gold medal, and the following year won another gold at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games at Kingston, Jamaica.

After reading geography at University, Newman graduated and became a primary school teacher. She later married and moved to Marple, just outside Manchester, where she continued as an infant schoolteacher. Newman was involved in her third Commonwealth Games when they came to Manchester in 2002, but this time as a helper, and not a competitor.