Fanny Blankers-Koen (born 1918) was known as the "first queen of women's Olympics." She remains the first and only woman ever to win four gold medals at a single Olympics. When Blankers-Koen began her sports career, Norman Giller noted in The 1984 Olympic Handbook, "women's athletics had been something of a sideshow.... She, more than anybody, made women athletes worthy of respect and attention, with a series of stunning performances in the London Olympics."

Fanny Blankers-Koen was born Francina Elsje Koen, the daughter of a government inspector in the Dutch city of Amsterdam in 1918. Her talent in sports was evident from a very young age. Blankers-Koen came from an athletic family that encouraged her to swim, skate, and play tennis. When she was six, she joined a local sports club, where she became known as an excellent runner and swimmer. When Blankers-Koen was 14, her father encouraged her to specialize in...