Blankers-Koen, Fanny

Fanny Blankers-Koen
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natal chart English style (Equal houses)
natal chart with Whole Sign houses

Name	Blankers-Koen, Fanny Gender: F
Birthname	Francina Elsje Koen
born on	26 April 1918 at 14:00 (= 2:00 PM )
Place	De Brandenburg monument, Netherlands, 52n11, 5e1517
Timezone	LST m19e53 (is daylight saving time)
Data source	Bio/autobiography Rodden Rating B Collector: Astrodienst
Astrology data	05°28' 07°36 Asc. 01°29'

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Fanny Blankers-Koen (1988)
photo: Anefo / Croes, R.C., license cc-by-sa-3.0

Biography

Dutch athlete, nicknamed "the Flying Housewife", who won four gold medals at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London.

She was the third of the five children of Arnoldus Koen (25 February 1892 - 9 May 1970) and Helena Houtkooper (5 August 1892, Haarlemmermeer - 7 November 1962). She was born in the farm "De Brandenburg" at Lage Vuursche near Baarn. Within a year after she was born, her father got a quarrel with the landowner of Lage Vuursche and the family had to move to a farm in the hamlet Klein Ulsda in Groningen. Several years later he got bankrupt and the family moved to Hoofddorp.

At age 11 the restless Fanny started with athletics, but also showed talent for tennis, swimming, gymnastics, ice skating and fencing. As there were so many good swimmers in Holland, a coach advised her to concentrate on athletics. She performed mediocre at school, but trained a lot stimulated by and using the facilities that were set up for the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam (28 July - 12 August 1928).

September 1935 she met the former hop step jump athlete (1928) and coach Johan "Jan" Blankers (23 April 1904, Amsterdam – 17 July 1977, Vinkeveen). He recognized her talent and improved her technique. Shortly before the German Invasion of 5 May 1940, they engaged and on 29 Augustus 1940 they married in Hoofddorp. During the war they lived in Amsterdam. They had a son Jan (20 August 1941) and a daughter Fanny (12 February 1946).

Having started competing in athletics in 1935 at age 17, she took part in the Berlin 1936 Summer Olympics at age 18. Here she met Jesse Owens, who became her hero. But Koen was to young to win medals.

Although international competition was hampered by World War II, and she had to bring up a small child during wartime with lack of food and medication, 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.

Her background and performances earned her the nickname "the Flying Housewife". Against all expectations, as she was a mother of two small children, she was the most successful athlete at the 1948 Summer Olympics, winning gold medals on the 80m hurdles, the 100m, the 200m and the 4x100m.

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 the Dutch female track and field team.

At the World Athletics Gala of Sunday 21 November 1999 in Monte-Carlo's Grand Hotel, Carl Lewis and Fanny Blankers-Koen were announced as Top Male and Female Athletes of the 20th Century. She could not believe it. Her Olympic victories are credited with helping to demolish the convention that age and motherhood were a barrier to success in women's sport.

She died on 25 January 2004, at age 85 in a nursery home in Hoofddorp. She suffered from deafness and Alzheimer during her last years.

Link to Wikipedia

Relationships

• other associate with Lewis, Carl (born 1 July 1961). Notes: Elected as Top Male and Female Athletes of the 20th Century.

• (has as) devotee relationship with Owens, Jesse (born 12 September 1913). Notes: Retrieved his signature in 1936 and kept it as her most precious possesion.

Events

• Death of Significant person 2 September 1922 in Haarlem (Grandfather Dirk Houtkooper (b. 1862))
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• Work : Great Achievement 22 September 1935 in Amsterdam (First National record 800 m)
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• Social : Change of Lifestyle 2 May 1940 (The Helsinki Olympic games were cancelled because of WWII.)
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• Relationship : Marriage 29 August 1940 in Hoofddorp (29 Augustus 1940)
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• Family : Adopted a child 20 August 1941 in Amsterdam (son Jan)
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• Family : Adopted a child 12 February 1946 in Amsterdam (daughter Fanny)
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• Work : Great Achievement 20 June 1948 in Amsterdam (Word Record 80 metres Hurdles)
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• Work : Prize 2 August 1948 in London (Olympic gold medal 100 m sprint)
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• Work : Prize 6 August 1948 in London (Olympic gold medal)
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• Work : Prize 7 August 1955 (Last victory in the shot put, her 58th Dutch title.)
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• Death of Mother 7 November 1962
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• Death of Father 9 April 1970
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• Work : Gain social status 21 November 1999 in Monte Carlo (Female athtlete of the century)
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• Death by Disease 25 January 2004 in Hoofddorp
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Source Notes

Svi quotes the biography "Fanny Blankers-Koen. De huisvrouw die kon vliegen" by Kees Kooman (May 2012, page 36): 26 April 1918 at 14:00, De Brandenburg at Lage Vuursche.

Categories

• Traits : Body : Other body (natural athlete that excelled in many sports)

• Diagnoses : Major Diseases : Alzheimer's/ Senility (in her eigthies)

• Vocation : Sports : Other Sports (athletics)

• Notable : Awards : Medals (National, European and World Championships)

• Notable : Awards : Olympics (4 gold medals)

• Notable : Famous : First in Field

• Notable : Famous : Top 5% of Profession