Leeds synchronised swimmer, 79, wins gold medal

Jeanne Ansley won gold at the Swim England Artistic Swimming Combo Cup on Sunday

A 79-year-old synchronised swimmer from Leeds has said she "loves to entertain" after winning gold.

Jeanne Ansley, from Walton, competed in the Swim England Artistic Swimming Combo Cup at Ponds Forge in Sheffield.

Representing her swimming club, she performed solo to Josh Groban's I Raise You Up and received a standing ovation from the judges last Sunday.

The retired press secretary, who swims for two hours a day, said: "My core is better now than it was in my 20s."

Jeanne, of the City of Leeds Synchronised Swimming Club, aced the Free Solo performance n the 70-79 age category and told the BBC: "I just feel at home in the water".

Jeanne was a competitive diver until she was 18 then took up synchronised swimming in the late 1960s.

She won her first international competition in 1972 and aside from a 20-year break to run an aquatic art club, has been doing synchro ever since.

She said: "I'm the oldest synchronised swimmer in Europe and I believe on Sunday it was the first time judges had given a standing ovation to a competitor in this country.

"I love performing and while I'm not as fast as I used to be, I am just as strong."

Jeanne, from Walton, has been a synchronised swimmer for more than 50 years and swims every day for two hours

On top of her daily swim, Jeanne, who won her first international medal in 1972, also teaches swimming every weekend and joked: "I don't feel as old as I am and because I'm old, I'm more appreciated!

"Next year I'll be in the 80 to infinity category."

Jeanne's late husband Chris was a water polo player and while their son Gavin, 47, "can do synchro", he prefers football, she said.

Gavin is a semi-professional player and helps to run Wakefield Amateur Football Club.

Jeanne, who said she has had "lots of jobs" including a stint as a circus performer, added: "Synchro has meant I've toured the world and made friends all over."

The City of Leeds Synchronised Swimming Club won the Combo Cup for the first time last weekend and each of the 50 competitors took home a medal, said head coach Deanne Ward.

She added: "We work so hard and this is a huge success for the county."

Synchronised swimming is "a sport for all ages to enjoy" said Swim England and Jeanne was "adored" by the crowd.