Today in Sports History: The Flying Dutchman...or Woman

In today's sports spectrum, age matters. Athletes are only "good" until a certain age, which is usually dictated by their surrounding opponents. At the age of 30, most would consider that athlete past their prime.

Unless your name is Francina "Fanny" Blankers-Koen, a Dutch track and field athlete that is. At the age of 30, on August 6th, 1948, the mother of two competed in the 1948 Olympics and became the first woman to win four Olympic gold medals. She also won gold medals in the 1946 Oslo games (2 gold), the 1950 Brussels games (3 gold, 1 silver) and in the 1938 Vienna games (2 bronze).

Nicknamed the Flying Dutchman, and Th Flying Housewife, she competed in the 100m, 200m, 80m hurdles and 4x100m relay, winning them all.

She was voted as the Female Athlete of the Century in 1999 by the International Association of Athletics Federation, and her status and historical feats, helped mold the idea that age and motherhood were not barriers to success, but also that women could also compete at a high level.

Her accomplishments led to her being knighted by Queen Juliana, making her the a knight of the Order of Orange Nassau.