Fanny Blankers-Koen

Francina Elsje "Fanny" Blankers-Koen (April 26, 1918 – January 25, 2004) was a Dutch athlete. She is most famous for winning four gold medals at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. At that time, she was already a mother of two, which was unheard of at a time where female athletes were still frowned upon by many. It earned her the nickname "The Flying Housewife".

World War II

Just prior to the invasion, Koen had become engaged, and on August 29, 1940, she married Jan Blankers, thereby changing her name to Blankers-Koen. Blankers, a former triple jumper (participant in the 1928 Olympics) was 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 the time. However, his attitude towards female athletes changed after he fell in love with Koen, who was fifteen years younger than he was.

Related Topics:
August 29 - 1940 - Triple jump - 1928 Olympics

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When Blankers-Koen gave birth to her first child Jan Junior in 1941, Dutch media automatically "concluded" her career would be over. Top female athletes who were married were rare at the time, and it was simply inconceivable to most that a mother would be an athlete. Blankers-Koen and her husband had other plans, and she resumed training only weeks after her son's birth.

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During war time, Blankers-Koen would set six new world records. 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 to 1.71 m in a specially arranged competition in Amsterdam. Then, she tied 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.

Related Topics:
Hurdles - Long jump

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Circumstances were not easy, and it got more difficult to get enough food, especially for an athlete in training. Despite this, Blankers-Koen managed to break the 100 yd world record in May 1944. At the same meet, she ran in the relay team that broke the 4 × 110 yd world record. The German press was excited, as the record had previously been owned by an English team. Months later, she helped breaking the 4 × 200 m record, which was held by Germany. In an act of defiance, the women wore outfits with national symbols while setting the record.

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The winter of 1944–1945, known as the Hongerwinter (hunger winter), was severe, and there was a great lack of food, especially in the big cities. Naturally, sport was the last thing on people's minds, and the Blankers family, living in Amsterdam was happy to make it through the war in good health.

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