Jan Andrew

Who is Jan Andrew?

Janice Andrew, known after marriage as Janice Thornett, is an Australian butterfly swimmer of the 1950s, who won a bronze medal in the 100 m butterfly and a silver medal in the 4×100 m medley relay at the 1960 Rome Olympics.

Arriving in Rome, Andrew had been regarded as a medal contender in the 100 m butterfly. She was in the spotlight when during a team meeting, officials had ordered Dawn Fraser to swim the butterfly leg in the 4×100 m medley relay preliminaries in her place, as she was ordered to rest ahead of her individual event later that night. Fraser refused, hitting Andrew with a pillow. It was only when Alva Colquhuon volunteered that the dispute was resolved. In the 100 m event that night, Andrew claimed bronze behind Carolyn Schuler of the United States and Marianne Heemskerk of the Netherlands. She later combined with Fraser, Rosemary Lassig and Marilyn Wilson to register a silver medal in the 4×100 m medley relay, trailing the Americans home by 5 s.