| Birth: | Apr. 26, 1918 | | Death: | Jan. 25, 2004 | 
Olympic Athlete. Considered one of the greatest female Olympians of the 20th century, she was a Dutch runner who starred in track and field at the 1948 Olympic Games in London, England, where she won four gold medals. Her victories included the 100 and 200 meter sprints, the 80 meter hurdles, and the 400 relay. She joined Jesse Owens and Carl Lewis as one of only three Olympians to win four gold medals in track at the same Olympics. During the course of her illustrious career, she set 20 world records. In 1999, the International Amateur Athletic Federation named her the best female athlete of the 20th century, an honor which she initially disbelieved. Her accomplishments at London were made even more remarkable by the fact that she was a 30 year old mother of two children and had missed the two previous Olympics (1940 and 1944 due to World War II) when she was in her greatest prime. (bio by: Anthony B)
Search Amazon for Fanny Blankers-Koen | | | Burial:
Hoofddorp Begraafplaats Wilgenhof
Hoofddorp
Haarlemmermeer Municipality
Noord-Holland, Netherlands |
Maintained by: Find A Grave
Originally Created by: Anthony B
Record added: Jan 27, 2004
Find A Grave Memorial# 8326559 |
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