Statue Fanny Blankers-Koen - Hengelo

At the Fanny Blankers-Koenstadion in Hengelo stands this statue of Dutch athlete Fanny Blankers-Koen, who achieved extraordinary sporting achievements in her career.

In 1948, she won four gold medals at the London Olympics. Fanny was 30 years old at the time, which is quite old for a career in athletics. Her achievements earned her the nicknames ‘The Flying Housewife’ and ‘The Flying Dutchmam’. At the 1946 and 1950 European Championships, she won five golds over four different events. These successes so soon after the war made her a symbol of reconstruction. In total, she won 58 national titles, five European titles and set 21 world records.

In 1999, she was voted International Athlete of the 20th century by the international athletics federation IAAF. In 2012, she was inducted into the IAAF Hall of Fame.

This statue was created by Dutch sculptor Antoinette Ruiter.