Jo Edwards

Jo Edwards
MNZM
Edwards in 2014
Personal information
NationalityNew Zealander
Born (1970-02-05) 5 February 1970 (age 54)
Clatterbridge, England
Medal record
Lawn bowls
Representing  New Zealand
World Outdoor Championships
Gold medal – first place 2004 Leamington Spa Pairs
Gold medal – first place 2008 Christchurch Pairs
Silver medal – second place 2012 Adelaide Pairs
Silver medal – second place 2016 Christchurch Pairs
Bronze medal – third place 2016 Christchurch Singles
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place 2002 Manchester Pairs
Gold medal – first place 2014 Glasgow Singles
Gold medal – first place 2018 Gold Coast Singles
Asia Pacific Bowls Championships
Gold medal – first place 2001 Melbourne pairs
Silver medal – second place 2001 Melbourne fours
Gold medal – first place 2003 Brisbane fours
Bronze medal – third place 2005 Melbourne singles
Gold medal – first place 2011 Adelaide pairs
Gold medal – first place 2011 Adelaide fours
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Christchurch singles
Gold medal – first place 2019 Gold Coast singles
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Gold Coast pairs

Joanna Edwards MNZM (born 5 February 1970) is a New Zealand international lawn bowls competitor. She has won two world titles and three Commonwealth Games gold medals.

Bowls career

Outdoors

At the 2002 Commonwealth Games she won a gold medal along with Sharon Sims in the women's pairs event.[1] She has twice won the gold medal at the World Outdoor Bowls Championships in the pairs events: in 2004 with Sharon Sims; and in 2008 with Val Smith.

In 2014 she won a second Commonwealth Games gold medal after winning the women's singles in Glasgow.

In 2016, she won a bronze medal at the 2016 World Outdoor Bowls Championship in Christchurch in the singles and a silver medal with Angela Boyd in the pairs.[2]

She was selected as part of the New Zealand team for the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in Queensland,[3] where she claimed a gold medal in the Singles.

In 2020 she was selected for the 2020 World Outdoor Bowls Championship in Australia.[4]

In addition to World Bowls and Commonwealth Games success she has won five gold medals and (nine medals in total) at the Asia Pacific Bowls Championships[5] and excelled at the 2015 APL (Australian Premier League), she was the only woman competing in the eight-team tournament featuring 24 of the world's top players and played alongside her countrymen Ali Forsyth and Shannon McIlroy to win the title at Club Pine Rivers.[6]

Indoors

Edwards has won six World Cup Singles titles (a women's record) with the latest success being in 2019. Previous wins were in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2017.[7]

Honours

In the 2014 Queen's Birthday Honours, Edwards was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to lawn bowls.[8]

References

  1. ^ Profile at the New Zealand Olympic Committee website
  2. ^ "2016 World Bowls Championship Finals". Burnside Bowling Club.
  3. ^ "Bowls: New Zealand team named for Commonwealth Games". New Zealand Herald.
  4. ^ "Blackjacks Selected for World Championships 2020". Bowls New Zealand. 10 February 2020.
  5. ^ "Results Portal". Bowls Australia.
  6. ^ Landells, Steve (17 November 2015). "Lawn bowls: Jo Edwards stars in Blackjacks triumph". New Zealand Herald. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  7. ^ "World Cup indoor singles – Day 9". Bowls International.
  8. ^ "Queen's Birthday honours list 2014". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 2 June 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2018.