Otago Daily Times counts down the 150 greatest moments in Otago sport.
Number 104: Shearer wins Olympic silver (1992)
Jan Shearer, from a great Otago yachting family, competed at the 1988 (Seoul), 1992 (Barcelona) and 1996 (Atlanta) Olympics.
In her first crack, she and Fiona Galloway finished ninth in the 470 in South Korea, paying the price for an early run of poor results.
Four years later, Shearer teamed with Leslie Egnot, the American-born, Christchurch-raised yachtswoman who had been a reserve in Seoul. The pair won the New Zealand 470 title four times.
At the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, the pair claimed the silver medal in a field of 17.
They finished with 36.7 points, behind only Spain's Theresa Zabell and Patricia Guerra.
Eight boats, including the New Zealanders, were disqualified in the first race for starting prematurely. After that Shearer and Egnot sailed consistently well and they won three races in the regatta.
Shearer and Egnot attempted to better the feat four years later in the Olympic sailing event off Savannah, but Egnot was carrying a serious injury and their campaign faltered early. They eventually finished 16th of the 22 starters.
Although she continued sailing at a high level, Shearer was unable to qualify for another Olympics, although she and Melinda Henshaw went extremely close to earning selection in the 470 class in 2004.
Shearer, who had been an outstanding gymnast growing up in Dunedin, was the daughter of well-known local sailor Ray Shearer. She married yachtie Murray Jones, who was fourth in the Flying Dutchman in Barcelona and later became a prominent America's Cup figure.
