Fanny Blankers-Koen - World War II

World War II

Just prior to the invasion, Koen had become engaged, and on 29 August 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.

When Blankers-Koen gave birth to her first child Jan Junior in 1941, 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 and her husband had other plans, and she resumed training only weeks after their son's birth.

During war domestic sports competition continued in German-occupied Holland, and Blankers-Koen would 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 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 last until 1954.

Circumstances were not easy, and it got harder to get enough food, especially for an athlete in training. Despite this, Blankers-Koen managed to break 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 record had previously been owned 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 the record.

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. 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.