Jennifer Chandler

Jennifer Chandler

Chandler in 1976
Personal information
Full name	Jennifer Kay Bellamy Chandler
Born	(1959-06-30) June 30, 1959 (age 65) Langdale, Alabama, U.S.
Height	5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Weight	115 lb (52 kg)
Sport
Sport	Diving
Club	Ron O'Brien Diving School, Columbus
Coached by	Ron O'Brien
Medal record Representing the  United States Olympic Games 1976 Montréal 3 m springboard World Championships 1978 West Berlin 3 m springboard Pan American Games 1975 Mexico City 3 m springboard

Jennifer Kay Bellamy Chandler (born June 13, 1959) is a retired American diver who attended the University of Arizona, and won a gold medal in diving in the 1976 Montreal Olympics.[1]

Chandler was born on June 30, 1959 in Langdale, Alabama,and started diving when she was nine. She went to the junior Olympics at the age of 12, and in 1975 won the AAU national indoor 1-meter springboard event. In 1976 she captured the national indoor 3-meter springboard championship.[2]

Diving highlights

She won a gold medal in the women's 3-metre springboard event at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.[2]

In international competition, she won a gold at the 1975 Pan American Games and a bronze medal at the 1978 World Aquatics Championships. She was a seven-time national diving champion.[1]

Chandler retired from diving when she was 21 due to back injuries.[2]

Education

She earned a BFA in drawing and painting from The University of Arizona. She was married to John W. Stevenson, the publisher and editor of The Randolph Leader in Roanoke, Alabama, until his death in 2019.[1][3] Chandler is also a painter with work on display through the Art of the Olympians organization.

Post-diving careers

Chandler has done work as an expert commentator for several national television networks. For 10 years, she worked for the Lakeshore Foundation, a world-class rehabilitation and athletic training facility located in Birmingham, Alabama, as their development and special events coordinator.[4] In 2021, Chandler became the director of development for the Vulcan Park and Museum in Birmingham. Three years later, she became director of community outreach for the museum.[5]

Honors

She was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame (ASHOF) in 1985,[6] and was elected to the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1987.[7] She became the educational outreach director for the American Swimming Hall of Fame (ASHOF) in 2003.[8]

See also

• List of members of the International Swimming Hall of Fame

References

1. Trucks, Richard (August 5, 2016). "How a Career Ends: Olympic gold medalist Jennifer Chandler". Excelle Sports. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
2. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Jennifer Chandler". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on January 1, 2014.
3. "Obituary of John Wyatt Stevenson | Quattlebaum Funeral Home". quattlebaumfuneralhome.com. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
4. "Lakeshore Foundation". Archived from the original on August 16, 2013. Retrieved August 31, 2016.
5. Grant, Rubin (July 9, 2024). "Life-Changing: Chandler Recalls Winning Diving Gold Medal at Montreal Olympics". Over the Mountain Journal. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
6. Alabama Sports Hall of Fame: Jennifer Chandler
7. "International Swimming Hall of Fame: Jennifer Chandler (USA), 1987 Honor Diver". Archived from the original on May 14, 2018. Retrieved August 31, 2016.
8. Encyclopedia of Alabama: Jennifer Chandler

External links

• Jennifer Chandler at World Aquatics
• Jennifer Chandler at the International Swimming Hall of Fame
• Jennifer Chandler at Olympics.com
• Jennifer Chandler at Olympedia
• Jennifer Chandler at the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame (archived)