FILE PHOTO: Born on April 26, 1918: Fanny Blankers-Koen, Dutch Athlete Dutch 1948 Olympic Champion Fanny Blankers-Koen (L) holds up her trophy as she poses with US champion Carl Lewis after they received their "Athlete of the Century" awards during the World Athletic Federation gala in Monte Carlo November 21. Blankers-Koen and Carl Lewis were elected "Athlete of Century" by the IAF (International Athletic Foundation). REUTERS/Eric Gaillard/File Photo
(Reuters) - Fanny Blankers-Koen was bemused by her success and never comfortable with adulation, but the Dutch sprinter, nicknamed the Flying Housewife, was the first post-World War Two sporting superstar after winning four golds at the 1948 Olympics.
She might have won more at the Games in London but was restricted to just three individual events plus a relay, even though she had held the world record, at one time or another, in six different disciplines.
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