Jan Blankers

As a triple jumper, Jan Blankers competed in the 1928 Olympics (failed to qualify for the final), won two Dutch championships (1931-32) and two British (AAA) titles (1931, 1933). Injuries forced him to retire from active competition, but drove him to coaching, in which he would become very successful. In 1935, he first saw a 17-year-old girl break the Dutch record in the 800 m in her first competitive race. He took an interest in her, both as a coach and romantically, as he would marry Fanny Koen in 1940. Centered around the talented athlete, Blankers set up a club (Sagitta), at which he trained most of the top female athletes in the Netherlands. After initial successes at the 1938 European Championships, his pupils flourished at the 1946 Europeans and particularly the 1948 Olympics, where his wife earned four gold medals. Blankers then shifted his focus towards journalism, and he became chief sports editor of De Telegraaf.

Personal Best: TJ - 14.69 (1933).