Jacinta Joan Gray (née Coleman, 17 July 1974 – 27 June 2017) was a New Zealand

road cyclist Road cycling is the most widespread form of cycling in which cyclists ride on paved roadways. It includes Recreational cycling, recreational, Road bicycle racing, racing, Bicycle commuting, commuting, and utility cycling. As users of the road, ...

who represented her country at the

1998 Commonwealth Games The 1998 Commonwealth Games ( Malay: ), officially known as the XVI Commonwealth Games (Malay: ), were a multi-sport event held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The 1998 games were the first held in Asia and the last Commonwealth Games of the 20th cen ...

and the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

Early life and family

Born in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

on 17 July 1974, Gray was the daughter of Brian and Sandra Coleman. She married Australian cyclist

Jay Sweet Jay Sweet (born 11 August 1975) is an Australian former professional racing cyclist who won a gold medal at the 1998 Commonwealth Games. He accepted a road cycling scholarship at the Australian Institute of Sport and in 1997 was a member of th ...

and they had one son, but later divorced. In 2009, she married James Gray, and the couple had two children.

Cycling

She took up cycling at the beginning of 1995, and made rapid progress in the sport. Gray rode for New Zealand in the women's road race at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in

Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

, finishing in 10th place. In the women's individual road race at the 2000 Summer Olympics in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, Gray finished 18th out of 57 starters.

Death

Gray died from

bowel cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel ...

Tauranga Tauranga (, Māori language for "resting place," or "safe anchorage") is a coastal city in the Bay of Plenty Region and the List of cities in New Zealand, fifth-most populous city of New Zealand, with an urban population of or roughly 3% of t ...

on 27 June 2017.

References

1974 births 2017 deaths Cyclists from Auckland New Zealand female cyclists Cyclists at the 2000 Summer Olympics Olympic cyclists for New Zealand Cyclists at the 1998 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games cyclists for New Zealand Deaths from colorectal cancer in New Zealand New Zealand expatriate sportspeople in Germany 20th-century New Zealand sportswomen {{NewZealand-cycling-bio-stub