Alison Drake (diver)

Alison Drake
Alison Drake pictured after a dive during the 1974 Commonwealth Games
Personal information
Full nameAlison Jean Drake
Nationality England
Born (1952-12-13) 13 December 1952 (age 72)
London
Height5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[1]
Spouse
Steve Jankowska
​
(after 1978)​
Sport
ClubDerek Beaumont's Diving Academy

Alison Jean Drake (born 13 December 1952) is a female former diver who competed for England. She competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics and the 1980 Summer Olympics.[2]

Career

Diving

Drake became the English champion when she won the English women's springboard diving championship, at Crystal Palace in 1970 at the age of just 17.

One month earlier she represented England in the 3 metres springboard, at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, Scotland.[3][4] Four years later she represented England again in the 3 metres springboard event at the 1974 British Commonwealth Games in Christchurch, New Zealand.[5] During the 1976 European Cup in Edinburgh, she finished second in the women's 3-metre event with a score of 418.44, just behind Olympic medalist diver Christa Köhler,[6] having finished third with a score of 276.84 during the second round of compulsory dives.[7]

In March 1978, she won the women's European springboard diving title in Nogent sur Marne, France[8] and followed that up in April by winning a gold medal in the European 1-metre championships in Paris, having recently changed coach and joined Derek Beaumont's Diving Academy.[1] Later that year in December, she won the women's event at the Amateur Swimming Association 1-metre springboard championships in Huddersfield, adding to the 3-metre title she had already won earlier in the season.[9]

Following her retirement from diving, Drake took up a coaching position with the Italian national team.[10]

Outside diving

Drake was working as a bank clerk around 1972[11] and in 1977, completed a Bachelor of Education degree and started a job at Northumberland Park School, near Tottenham Hotspur F.C. later that year[12] as a maths teacher.[1]

Personal

Drake was in a long-term relationship with Tony Fasoli until 1977, when a "blazing row" at the national championships ended their relationship. She noted that they had "been together too long" and that confidence in the other was lost, but Fasoli was quoted as being "deeply upset" about the split.[12]

Around 1978, she married Steve Jankowska, a drama teacher.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Teacher gets figures right". The Guardian. 8 April 1978. p. 20.
  2. ^ "Alison Drake". Olympedia. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  3. ^ "1970 Athletes". Team England.
  4. ^ "Edinburgh, 1970 Team". Team England.
  5. ^ "Athletes and results". Commonwealth Games Federation.
  6. ^ "Britain's Alison Drake takes second place". Sunday Telegraph. 29 August 1976. p. 23.
  7. ^ "Italian wins gold medal". The Glasgow Herald. 28 August 1976. p. 14.
  8. ^ "Alison Drake of Britain wins diving title". Evening Post. 6 March 1978. p. 14.
  9. ^ "Second title for Drake". The Guardian. 11 December 1978. p. 24.
  10. ^ "Alison Drake at Palace". The Daily Telegraph. 27 March 1982. p. 29.
  11. ^ "First honour to Sweden". The Guardian. 28 August 1972. p. 14.
  12. ^ a b "Top diver and coach break up". Evening Standard. 21 July 1977. p. 41.