Ans Panhorst-Niesink

Starting out as a korfball player and a sprinter, Ans Niesink was discovered as a throwing talent at her athletics. After competing in the 1936 Olympics at age 17, she started her domination of the Dutch shot and discus events. Between 1937 and 1954, she won seven shot put titles, and no less than 14 discus titles. She also held the national record in both events. Internationally, her top performance came in 1946 when - now competing under her married name of Panhorst-Niesink - she placed second in the discus event at the European Championships in Oslo, while finishing sixth in the shot put. Eight years earlier, she had ranked 8th (discus) and 11th (shot) at the Europeans. She also achieved good results at the Olympics, placing 7th (1936) and 6th (1948) in the discus throw. For many years, Ans Panhorst-Niesink trained with Sagitta, the club of Jan Blankers, the husband of four-time Olympic champion Fanny Blankers-Koen. She continued to compete for a long time, setting her a personal best at age 39 and winning a medal in the Dutch Championships at age 43.

Personal Bests: SP – 12.40 (1944); DT – 43.63 (1958).