Fanny Blankers – Koen was a Dutch athlete who won four gold medals at the 1948 London Summer Olympics. She was then 30 years old and the mother of two children. For this she received the nickname Flying Housewife.

She also has five European medals, 58 Dutch championships and 12 world records. She practiced long jump, high jump, fast running and obstacle running.

Born in 1918. As a teenager she was involved in tennis, swimming, gymnastics, ice skating, fencing and running.

She started competing in 1935. A year later she participated for the first time in the Summer Olympics in Berlin.

She retired from active action in 1955 and became the coach of the Dutch women’s’ team.

In 1993 she was voted ‘Female Athlete of the Century’.

[Source: el.wikipedia.org]