FROM NEAR-SILENCE SOMETHING SPECIAL

THE DEAFLYMPICS in Melbourne revealed Jo Davison as one of the most special sportswomen the town of Worthing has produced. We have reported how in the women's hammer, at the age of 40, in an open-age competition, she became the first of Great Britain's only five gold medallists at the games.And yet, without her hearing aids in either ear, she could stand next to a pneumatic road drill and scarcely hear it. This week we learn how her special character gave her the determination to pur
By The Newsroom
Published 10th Feb 2005, 11:02 BST
Updated 8th Jun 2018, 00:58 BST

ANYONE who has met or competed against Jo Davision will not have been surprised at her gold medal in the hammer at the deaflympics. "She's been very competitive since the day she was born," admits her mother, Ann. "She and her younger brother would play football at Goring Rec and she was always trying to beat him

"But she's had a go at everything. She has been deaf since the age of nine months but it wasn't easy then to get help '” not until she was seven or eight. They thought she was lazy, so she lost a lot of schooling. We don't know the cause of her deafness but at nine months she had German Measles and we think that's probably what did it.

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"She started playing sport when she had a hearing aid. Her deafness is definitely something to do with her success and she's always tried not to let it affect anything. Many people don't realise when they meet her that she's hard of hearing.

"I did a lot of sport at school. Her father Colin and I like watching her in action."

Jo Davison, born Harvey, met her husband Eric at the rifle shooting range at Worthing Leisure Centre. Before that she had played hockey at Worthing HC and after the rifle shooting came the athletics and Worthing Harriers now testify to her dedication.

Road runner Maureen Stephens said: "As soon as Jo switched from running, owing to her Achilles injury, you could see how thoroughly she went about the process of becoming a field athlete instead. Yes, at first, she was impatient to progress, but that was a sign of her passion for sport."

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And a passion for a new challenge. This characteristic dates back to Angmering School through to the Sydney Walter Youth Centre, when Davison, aged 14, began her dedication to gaining her bronze, silver, then gold Duke Of Edinburgh awards. The process culminated in her gold expedition in Snowdonia, followed by another, not for an award, in which she climbed on Mont Blanc in the French Alps.

She recalls: "The DofE is taken over a long period of time (it lasted seven years] because you have to develop numerous skills before reaching the required level. I met the Duke, Prince Philip, himself at St James Palace and I never forget it because I didn't realise how short he was.

"The chance to climb Mont Blanc. Who would, in their right mind, say no to that? I was 22, it was a 129-mile expedition around the massif. I didn't have enough experience but I did climb up to parts of the summit for a couple of days and that was fantastic.

"I walked with crampons on ice and jumped crevasses. I was lucky with the weather as I remember wearing my T-shirt and shorts. I never really had any problems except carrying that heavy rucksack.

"All that brings back happy memories . . ."

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