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Fanny Blankers-Koen Games

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The Fanny Blankers-Koen Games , abbreviated as FBK Games , is an annual track and field event at the Fanny Blankers-Koen Stadion in Hengelo , Netherlands. It is named after Fanny Blankers-Koen in 1981, but was named Adriaan Paulen Memorial after Adriaan Paulen between 1987 and 2000. It has been part of the World Athletics Continental Tour since 2021.

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67-497: The first edition was organized on 6 June 1981. Its name honours Fanny Blankers-Koen , who won four gold medals at the 1948 Olympic Games . It was known as the 'Adriaan Paulen Memorial' from 1987 to 2000, in memory of another Dutch athlete, but when Fanny Blankers-Koen was elected as the best female athlete of the 20th century by the IAAF in 2000, it was decided to use the original name "FBK-Games" again. From 2003 to 2009 IAAF classified

134-431: A "blind handoff", where the second runner stands on a spot predetermined in practice and starts running when the first runner hits a visual mark on the track (usually a smaller triangle). The second runner opens their hand behind them after a few strides, by which time the first runner should be caught up and able to hand off the baton. Usually a runner will give an auditory signal, such as "Stick!" repeated several times, for

201-529: A 2004 national poll, Blankers-Koen ranked 29th for De Grootste Nederlander (The Greatest Netherlander); she was the third highest sportsperson (after footballers Johan Cruyff and Marco van Basten ) and the seventh highest woman in the poll. Two public statues of her have been erected in the Netherlands: the first was made by Han Rehm and placed in Rotterdam in 1954 and the second, made by Antoinette Ruiter ,

268-679: A gala in Monaco, organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), she was declared the "Female Athlete of the Century". She was very surprised to have won, audibly asking "You mean it is me who has won?" In the years prior to her death, Blankers-Koen suffered from Alzheimer's disease and lived in a psychiatric nursing home. She was also deaf. She died at age 85 in Hoofddorp on 25 January 2004. A year before her death,

335-630: A mass start, with teams consist of four biathletes. Each competitor must complete 7.5 kilometres / 4.66 miles (men) or 6.0 kilometres / 3.73 miles (women). Each leg is held over three laps, with two shooting rounds; one prone, one standing. A mixed biathlon relay race was first held at the Biathlon World Championships 2005 in Khanty-Mansiysk, and it was added to the 2014 Winter Olympics . There are two major relays in orienteering: There are other relays in autumn with requirements about

402-470: A mixture of countries and were thus never ratified. Major USA Track and Field events, f.e. the Penn Relays , Drake Relays , Kansas Relays , Mt. SAC Relays , Modesto Relays , Texas Relays , West Coast Relays , include different types of relays. Each runner must hand off the baton to the next runner within a certain zone, usually marked by triangles on the track. In sprint relays, runners typically use

469-435: A more uncommon variant of 200, 100, 100 and 400 metres (sometimes called a short sprint medley) also exists. See also Swedish relay . Relay race events have been selected as a main motif in numerous collectors' coins. One of the recent samples is the €10 Greek Relays commemorative coin , minted in 2003 to commemorate the 2004 Summer Olympics . In the obverse of the coin three modern athletes run, holding their batons while in

536-580: A multisport stadium in Hengelo ( Fanny Blankers-Koen Stadium ), a sports park in Almere (FBK-sportpark), and a sports hall in Hoofddorp where she lived (Fanny Blankers-Koen hal). Blankers-Koen was honoured with a Google Doodle on 26 April 2018, on her 100th birthday. Information from her World Athletics profile unless noted otherwise. Relay race A relay race is a racing competition where members of

603-461: A new bicycle: "to go through life at a slower pace" and "so she need not run so much". Queen Juliana made her a knight of the Order of Orange Nassau . Now known all over the world, Blankers-Koen received many offers for endorsements, advertisements, publicity stunts, and the like. Because of the strict amateurism rules in force at the time, she had to turn most offers down. However, a fortnight after

670-445: A person starts accelerating before they have the baton, therefore allowing for slightly slower overall open 400 times. A 4 × 400 relay generally starts in lanes for the first leg, including the handoff. The second leg then proceeds to run in lanes for the first 100 metres, after which point the runners are allowed to break into the first lane on the backstretch, as long as they do not interfere with other runners. A race organizer then puts

737-465: A race in which two men and two women on each team, are running a 110 m hurdles . Medley relay events are also occasionally held in track meets, usually consisting of teams of four runners running progressively longer distances. The distance medley relay consists of four legs run at distances of 1200, 400, 800, and 1,600 metres, in that order. The sprint medley relay usually consists of four legs run at distances of 400, 200, 200, and 800 metres, though

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804-406: A regular start. Besides, many swimmers perform better in a relay than in an individual race owing to a team spirit atmosphere. As a result, relay times are typically 2–3 seconds faster than the sum of best times of individual swimmers. In medley swimming , each swimmer uses a different stroke (in this order): backstroke , breaststroke , butterfly , and freestyle , with the added limitation that

871-583: A segment of swimming, cycling and running. The madison is a track cycling event where two riders take turns to complete the race. Riders can alternate at any moment by touching the partner with the hand. The madison is featured at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships since 1995 and the Olympics since 2000. The format has been used in six-day racing . In road racing, the Duo Normand

938-497: A set number of stages (legs) (usually four), each leg run by different members of a team. The runner finishing one leg is usually required to pass the next runner a stick-like object known as a "baton" while both are running in a marked exchange zone. In most relays, team members cover equal distances: Olympic events for both men and women are the 400-metre (4 × 100-metre) and 1,600-metre (4 × 400-metre) relays. Some non-Olympic relays are held at distances of 800 m, 3,200 m, and 6,000 m. In

1005-583: A slight disappointment. In the 100 m semi-finals, held during the high jump final, she fell and failed to qualify for the final. Competing with bruises from the fall, she ended the high jump competition in fourth. The second day was more successful, as she won the 80 m hurdles event, and led the Dutch relay team to victory in the 4 × 100 m. As the leading female athlete in the Netherlands – in 1947 she won national titles in six women's events – Blankers-Koen

1072-476: A team take turns completing parts of racecourse or performing a certain action. Relay races take the form of professional races and amateur games. Relay races are common in running , orienteering , swimming , cross-country skiing , biathlon , or ice skating (usually with a baton in the fist). In the Olympic Games , there are several types of relay races that are part of track and field , each consisting of

1139-563: Is the Penn Relays , which attracts over 15,000 competitors annually on the high-school, collegiate and professional levels, and over its three days attracts upwards of 100,000 spectators. It is credited with popularizing relay racing in the sport of track & field. Long-distance relays have become increasingly popular with runners of all skill levels. These relays typically have 5 to 36 legs, each usually between 5 and 10 km (3.1 and 6.2 miles) long, though sometimes as long as 16 km (9.9 mi). The IAAF World Road Relay Championships

1206-428: The 100 m world record , but this was never recognised officially, as she competed against men when setting the record. She closed out the season with a new world record in the long jump , 6.25 m on 19 September 1943. The latter record would stand until 1954. Circumstances were not easy, and it became harder to get enough food, especially for an athlete in training. Despite this, Blankers-Koen managed to break

1273-401: The 2014 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) (4 × 50 m freestyle and medley) and the 2015 World Aquatics Championships (4 × 100 m freestyle and medley). The event will debut at the 2020 Summer Olympics (4 × 100 m medley). In open water swimming , mixed-gendered relays were introduced at the 2011 World Aquatics Championships (4 × 1250 m). In athletics , the two standard relays are

1340-476: The 2017 IAAF World Cross Country Championships , a mixed relay race was added (4 × 2 km). The Crusader Team Sprint Cross Country Relay Race is a fun and unique venue specifically designed to get runners familiar with distance running and excited for the rest of the cross country season.  Teams will be pairs of runners.  The team will run four loops of a 1-mile course.  Runner “A” will run loop 1 and hand off to Runner “B.”  Runner “B” will run

1407-406: The 2019 IAAF World Relays . Traditionally, the 4 × 400 m relay finals are the last event of a track meet, and is often met with a very enthusiastic crowd, especially if the last leg is a close race. It is hard to measure exact splits in a 4 × 400 (or a 4 × 100) relay. For example, if a team ran a 3-minute 4 × 400, it does not mean every runner on the team has to run a 45-second open 400 , because

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1474-483: The 4 × 100 metres relay and the 4 × 400 metres relay . 4 × 200, 4 × 800, and 4 × 1500 m relays exist as well, but they are rarer. Mixed-gendered 4 × 400 metres relays were introduced at the 2017 IAAF World Relays , repeated at the 2018 Asian Games , the 2019 World Championships in Athletics and were added to the 2020 Summer Olympics . In addition, a 2 × 2 × 400 m and shuttle hurdles mixed relay races were introduced at

1541-531: The high jump and the 4 × 100 m relay . At the Berlin Olympics, the high jump and the 4 × 100 m relay competitions were held on the same day. In the high jump, she took fifth place (shared with two other jumpers) while the Dutch relay team came in fifth in the final (the sixth team in the final, Germany, was disqualified). She also gained the autograph of American athlete Jesse Owens ; it became her most treasured possession. Slowly, Koen rose to

1608-419: The 100 m semi-finals, but forfeited a start to save herself for the hurdles race. She reached the final in that event, but after knocking over the second hurdle, she abandoned the race. It was her last major competition. On 7 August 1955, Fanny Blankers-Koen was victorious for the last time, winning the national title in the shot put , her 58th Dutch title. After her athletic career, Blankers-Koen served as

1675-456: The 100 yd (91 m) world record in May 1944. At the same meet, she ran with the relay team that broke the 4 × 110 yd (100 m) world record. The German press was excited, as the previous record had been set by an English team. Months later, she helped break the 4 × 200 m record, which was held by Germany. In an act of defiance, the women wore outfits with national symbols while setting

1742-471: The 1948 Olympics, she entertained 35,000 spectators by equalling her 100m world record of 10.8 seconds on Lansdowne Road ’s “heavy grass track” Also, in 1949, she travelled abroad to promote women's athletics, flying to Australia and the United States. Blankers-Koen had been chosen the 1948 Helms Athletic Foundation World Trophy Winner for Europe, and in 1949 she travelled to Los Angeles to compete in

1809-484: The Australian and Canadian runners. In spite of a careful and slow exchange, she caught up with the leaders, crossing the line a tenth of a second before the Australian woman. In hindsight, the Dutch team should have been disqualified because the third runner crossed the line on the inside. Fanny Blankers-Koen won four of the nine women's events at the 1948 Olympics, competing in eleven heats and finals in eight days. She

1876-469: The Dutch female track and field team. In 1999, she was voted "Female Athlete of the Century" by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). Her Olympic victories are credited with helping to eliminate the belief that age and motherhood were barriers to success in women's sport. Fanny Koen was born on 26 April 1918 in Lage Vuursche (near Baarn ) to Arnoldus and Helena Koen. Her father

1943-631: The FBK Games among IAAF Grand Prix meetings and from 2010 to 2019 it was a IAAF World Challenge meeting. The 2020 event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic . Since 2021 it is a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold level meeting. Over the course of its history, half a dozen world records have been set at the FBK Games. Fanny Blankers-Koen Francina Elsje " Fanny " Blankers-Koen ( Dutch: [frɑnˈsinaː ˈʔɛlɕə ˈfɑni ˈblɑŋkərs ˈkun] ; 26 April 1918 – 25 January 2004)

2010-558: The Games by beating her own 80 m hurdles world record – one of the six world records that she held at that time – some journalists questioned her, suggesting 30 years was too old for a woman to be an athlete. The British athletics team's manager, Jack Crump , opined that she was "too old to make the grade". Many in the Netherlands were concerned for the welfare of the family, saying that she should stay at home to look after her children, not compete in athletics events. Her first competition

2077-606: The Los Angeles Coliseum Relays. In 1950, a controversial episode involving one of Blankers-Koen's competitors occurred. A year earlier, a new Dutch sprint talent, Foekje Dillema had made her breakthrough. In 1950, she broke the national record in the 200 m, and some journalists already dubbed her as the "new Fanny". That year, Dillema was the first subject of the International Association of Athletics Federations's mandatory sex verification policy and

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2144-425: The Netherlands at that time (such as Rie Mastenbroek ), and she would have a better chance to qualify for the Olympics in a track event. Her first appearance in the sport was in 1935, aged 17. Her first competition was a disappointment, but in her third race, she set a national record in the 800 m. Fanny Koen soon made the Dutch team, although as a sprinter, not a middle-distance runner. At that time, 800 m

2211-572: The age and gender distributions: The World Triathlon Mixed Relay Championships is a mixed-gendered relay triathlon race held since 2009. Previously, the Triathlon Team World Championships were held in 2003, 2006 and 2007. Also, the triathlon at the Youth Olympic Games has a mixed relay race since 2010, and the event was introduced at the 2020 Summer Olympics . As in standard triathlons, each triathlon competitor must do

2278-421: The background three ancient athletes are shown running a race known as the dolichos (a semi-endurance race of approximately 3,800 metres' distance). The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships features a relay race since 1933, and a women's race since 1954. Each team has four skiers, each of whom must complete 10 kilometres / 6.2 miles (men) or 5 kilometres / 3.1 miles (women). In biathlon , the relay race features

2345-534: The fastest (anchor). But if a runner is better in the starting blocks than the others, they may be moved to the first spot because it is the only spot that uses starting blocks. The largest relay event in the world is the Norwegian Holmenkollstafetten, 2,944 teams of 15 starting and ending at Bislett Stadium in Oslo which had a total of 44,160 relay-competitors on May 10, 2014. Another large relay event

2412-438: The final with great ease. The final, on 6 August, was again held in the pouring rain, but Blankers-Koen completed the inaugural Olympic 200 m for women in 24.4, seven-tenths of a second ahead of runner-up Audrey Williamson – still the largest margin of victory in an Olympic 200 m final. Audrey Patterson placed in third, thereby becoming the first African American woman to win an Olympic medal. The 4 × 100 m final

2479-429: The finish photo clearly showed that not Gardner, but Blankers-Koen had won, although both received the same time (11.2 seconds). In spite of her successes, Blankers-Koen nearly failed to start in the semi-finals of the 200 m, held the day after the hurdles final. Shortly before the semi-final, she broke down because of homesickness. After a long talk with her husband, she decided to run anyway, and qualified for

2546-406: The first biography of Blankers-Koen was published, Een koningin met mannenbenen ( A Queen with Men's Legs ) by journalist Kees Kooman . Through many interviews with relatives, friends and contemporary athletes, it paints a previously unknown picture of her. During her successful years, Dutch and international media portrayed her as the perfect mother (hence her nickname "the flying housewife"), who

2613-463: The following recognition: The Fanny Blankers-Koen Carrièreprijs was created by NOC*NSF to honour the achievements of Dutch sportspeople and was first given on 9 December 2005. For its inauguration, five people were awarded the prize. Since then, the award has been given to an individual annually. She was among the women included in the 1001 Vrouwen uit de Nederlandse geschiedenis , a dictionary of biography covering 1001 important Dutchwomen. In

2680-514: The freestyle swimmer cannot use any of the first three strokes. At competitive levels, essentially all freestyle swimmers use the front crawl . Note that this order is different from that for the individual medley, in which a single swimmer swims butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle in a single race, in that order. The three standard relays raced at the Olympics are the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay, 4 × 200 m freestyle relay and 4 × 100 m medley relay. Mixed-gendered relays were introduced at

2747-416: The less frequently run medley relays, however, the athletes cover different distances in a prescribed order—as in a sprint medley of 200, 200, 400, 800 metres or a distance medley of 1,200, 400, 800, 1,600 metres. A swimming relay of four swimmers usually follows this strategy: second-fastest, third-fastest, slowest, then fastest (anchor). However, it is not uncommon to see either the slowest swimmer racing in

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2814-529: The outbreak of World War II put a stop to the preparations. The Olympics were formally cancelled on 2 May 1940, a week before the Netherlands was invaded . Just prior to the invasion, Koen had become engaged, and on 29 August 1940, she married Jan Blankers (who was fifteen years her senior), thereupon changing her name to Blankers-Koen. Blankers was then a sports journalist and the coach of the Dutch women's athletics team, even though he originally thought women should not compete in sports – not an unusual opinion at

2881-508: The pace quickly, but was unable to shake off Gardner, who kept close until the finish line, and the two finished almost simultaneously. When the British national anthem was played, the crowd in Wembley Stadium cheered, and Blankers-Koen briefly thought she had been beaten. However, the anthem was played in honour of the British royal family, which entered the stadium at that time. Examination of

2948-533: The recipient of the baton to put out his hand. In middle-distance relays or longer, runners begin by jogging while looking back at the incoming runner and holding out a hand for the baton. A team may be disqualified from a relay for: Based on the speed of the runners, the generally accepted strategy used in setting up a four-person relay team is: second-fastest, third-fastest, slowest, then fastest ( anchor ); however some teams (usually middle school or young high school) use second-fastest, slowest, third-fastest, then

3015-574: The record. The winter of 1944–45, known as the Hongerwinter (hunger winter), was severe, and there was a great lack of food, especially in the big cities. She gave birth to a daughter, Fanneke, in 1945 and in contrast to her previous post-birth activities she took seven months off from sport and only undertook limited training. The first major international event after the war was the 1946 European Championships , held in Oslo, Norway. The championships were

3082-427: The same loop and hand off back to Runner “A.”  “A” runs one more loop, hands off to “B,” and “B” finishes. 3 race categories: boys, girls, and co-ed.  Awards will be given in each of the three categories. The Shuttle hurdle relay is a Men's and Women's competition that is part of Relay meetings like Drake Relays or Penn Relays . A mixed version was introduced at the 2019 IAAF World Relays , it consist of

3149-461: The second slot (creating an order of second-fastest, slowest, third-fastest, and then fastest), or an order from slowest to fastest (an order of slowest, third-fastest, second-fastest, fastest). FINA rules require that a foot of the second, third or fourth swimmer must be contacting the platform while (and before) the incoming teammate is touching the wall; the starting swimmer may already be in motion, however, which saves 0.6–1.0 seconds compared to

3216-547: The team leader of the Dutch athletics team, from the 1958 European Championships to the 1968 Summer Olympics . In 1977, Blankers-Koen's husband Jan died. Some years after his death, she moved back to her old hometown of Hoofddorp . In 1981, the Fanny Blankers-Koen Games , an international athletics event, were established. They are still held annually in Hengelo . Blankers-Koen's last moment of glory came in 1999. At

3283-414: The third-leg runners into a line depending on the order in which they are running (with the first place closest to the inside). The faster teams pass first, while the slower teams have to slide in to the inside lanes as they come available. According to the IAAF rules, world records in relays can only be set if all team members have the same nationality. Several superior marks were established by teams from

3350-440: The time. However, his attitude toward female athletes changed after he fell in love with Koen. When Blankers-Koen gave birth to her first child, Jan Junior, in 1942, Dutch media automatically assumed her career would be over. Top female athletes who were married were rare at the time, and it was considered inconceivable that a mother would be an athlete. Blankers-Koen resumed training only weeks after their son's birth. During

3417-461: The titles in the 100 m, 200 m and 80 m hurdles, all with large margins of victory (four-tenths of a second or more), but narrowly missed out on a fourth win in the relay, which was won by the British team. At age 34, she took part in her third Olympics , which were held in Helsinki. Although she was in good physical condition, she was severely hampered by a skin boil . She qualified for

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3484-592: The top. In 1938, she ran her first world record (11.0 seconds in the 100 yards), and she also won her first international medals. At the European Championships in Vienna, she won the bronze in both the 100 and 200 m, which were both won by Stanisława Walasiewicz . Many observers, and Koen herself, expected her to do well at the upcoming Olympics , which were due to be held in Helsinki in July 1940. However,

3551-565: The war, domestic competition in sports continued in German-occupied Holland, and Blankers-Koen set six new world records between 1942 and 1944. The first came in 1942, when she improved the world mark in the 80 m hurdles . The following year, she did even better. First, she improved the high jump record by an unequalled 5 cm from 1.66 m to 1.71 m in a specially arranged competition in Amsterdam on 30 May. Then, she tied

3618-522: Was a Dutch track and field athlete, best known for winning four gold medals at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. She competed there as a 30-year-old mother of two, earning her the nickname " the Flying Housewife ", and was the most successful athlete at the event. Having started competing in athletics in 1935, she took part in the 1936 Summer Olympics a year later. Although international competition

3685-575: Was a Y-chromosome in Dillema's DNA, which indicated she was possibly a genetic mosaic or a true hermaphrodite . Most of the other women on the team at the time suspect it was an attempt by Blankers and Blankers-Koen to eliminate an opponent, although this has never been confirmed. The same year, Blankers-Koen almost repeated her Olympic performance at the European Championships in Brussels. She won

3752-469: Was a government official who competed in the shot put and discus . She had five brothers. As a teenager, she enjoyed tennis , swimming, gymnastics , ice skating , fencing and running . Standing 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in), she was a natural athlete. It soon became clear she had a talent for sports, but she could not decide which sport to pick. A swimming coach advised her to concentrate on running because there were already several top swimmers in

3819-504: Was assured of a place on the Dutch team for the first post-war Olympics , held in London. After her experience in Oslo, she decided not to take part in all events, but limit herself to four: she dropped the high jump and long jump to concentrate on the 100 m, the 200 m, the 80 m hurdles, and the 4 × 100 m relay (competition rules also prevented an athlete from competing in more than three individual track and field events ). Although she displayed her form two months before

3886-503: Was generally considered too physically demanding for female contestants, and had been removed from the Olympic programme after 1928. The following year, her coach and future husband, Jan Blankers , a former Olympic triple-jumper who had participated in the 1928 Olympics , encouraged her to enter the trials for the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. At eighteen years old, she was selected to compete in

3953-541: Was held from 1986 to 1998, with six-member teams covering the classic 42.195-kilometre (26.219 mi) marathon distance. Races under 100 kilometres (62 mi) are run in a day, with each runner covering one or two legs. Longer relays are run overnight, with each runner typically covering three legs. The world's longest relay race was Japan's Prince Takamatsu Cup Nishinippon Round-Kyūshū Ekiden , which begins in Nagasaki and continues for 1,064 kilometres (661 mi). For

4020-430: Was held on the final day of the track and field competitions. The Dutch team, consisting of Xenia Stad-de Jong , Netti Witziers-Timmer , Gerda van der Kade-Koudijs and Blankers-Koen, qualified for the final, but just before the final, Blankers-Koen was missing. She had gone out to shop for a raincoat, and arrived just in time for the race. As the last runner, she took over the baton in third place, some five meters behind

4087-470: Was modest about her own achievements. Kooman's book portrays Blankers-Koen in a different light, as a woman who found it difficult to show affection and who was driven by a desire to win. Blankers-Koen had previously written an autobiography in 1949 with help from her husband. Her personal record on the 100 m of 11.5 remained the Amsterdam club record of Phanos for 62 years. It was finally broken in May 2010 by Jamile Samuel . Blankers-Koen received

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4154-416: Was more concerned with her next event, the 80 m hurdles. Her chief opponent was Maureen Gardner , also coached by Blankers-Koen's husband and who had equalled Blankers-Koen's world record prior to the Games, and would be running for her home crowd. Both athletes made the final, in which Blankers-Koen got off to a bad start (she would later claim she thought there had been a false start). She picked up

4221-542: Was placed on 9 May 2007 in Hengelo . Also in 2007, a text was installed on the fence of the sportspark at Olympiaplein in Amsterdam declaring " Hier trainde Fanny Blankers-Koen " ("Fanny Blankers-Koen trained here"). Several locations have been named in her honour, including Blankers-Koen Park in Newington, New South Wales , the location of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Village, a fire station in Amsterdam (Fanny Blankers-Koenkazerne),

4288-425: Was stopped by World War II, Blankers-Koen set several world records during that period, in events as diverse as the long jump , the high jump , and sprint and hurdling events. Apart from her four Olympic titles, she won five European titles and 58 Dutch championships, and set or tied 12 world records – the last, pentathlon , in 1951 aged 33. She retired from athletics in 1955, after which she became captain of

4355-554: Was subjected to a "sex test", the details of which were never revealed. As a result, she was expelled by the Royal Dutch Athletics Federation from athletics for the rest of her life and the 200 m record she took from Blankers-Koen was erased. Dillema, who never spoke publicly on the subject, died in December 2007. After the death of Dillema, a forensic test on body cells obtained from her clothing found that there

4422-425: Was the 100 m, and she qualified easily for the semi-finals, in which she set the fastest time. The final (2 August) was held on a muddy track and in rainy conditions. Blankers-Koen sped to the finish line in 11.9, easily beating her opponents Dorothy Manley and Shirley Strickland , who took second and third. Fanny Blankers-Koen thereby became the first Dutch athlete to win an Olympic title in athletics, but she

4489-404: Was the first woman to win four Olympic gold medals, and achieved the feat in a single Olympics. Dubbed "the flying housewife", "the flying Dutchmam", and "amazing Fanny" by the international press, she was welcomed back home in Amsterdam by an immense crowd. After a ride through the city, pulled by four white horses, she received a lot of praise and gifts. From the city of Amsterdam, she received

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