Background
She was born in Toronto, but her family later moved to Hamilton and then to Penetanguishene.
She was born in Toronto, but her family later moved to Hamilton and then to Penetanguishene.
She finished in fourth place in the 800 m at the 1928 Summer Olympics, when women competitions were first introduced to the Olympic Games.
Thompson was the fifth of seven children of David and Margaret Thompson. In 1924 her mother died in a car accident. In 1930 she graduated from the Margaret Eaton School of Physical Education and later worked at a brokerage firm.
In 1987, Jean Thompson was posthumously inducted into the Penetanguishene Sports Hall of Fame.
Her great-nephew, Russian Howard, is a retired Olympic curler.