Fanny Blankers-Koen was a Dutch track and field athlete, born on April 26, 1918, in Baarn, Netherlands. Nicknamed “The Flying Housewife,” she became an iconic figure in athletics for her performance at the 1948 London Olympics, where she won four gold medals in the 100 meters, 200 meters, 80m hurdles, and 4×100 meters relay. This achievement was particularly remarkable as it was unprecedented for a female athlete at that time, and she accomplished this feat as a 30-year-old mother of two, challenging prevailing norms about age and motherhood in sports. Blankers-Koen set multiple world records during her career and is celebrated as one of the greatest female athletes of the 20th century.
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