 Gerda Kraan in 1961 | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 30 July 1933 Leiden, the Netherlands | |||||||||||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | |||||||||||
| Weight | 65 kg (143 lb) | |||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||
| Sport | Running | |||||||||||
| Club | De Bataven, Leiden | |||||||||||
Medal record
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Gerarda "Gerda" Maria Kraan (Dutch: [ɣeːˈrɑrdaː ˈɣɛrdaː maːˈriaː kraːn]; born 30 July 1933) is a retired female middle distance runner from the Netherlands, who twice represented her native country at the Summer Olympics: 1960 (Rome) and 1964 (Tokyo).[1] In 1962 she won the gold medal in the women's 800 metres race at the 1962 European Championships in Belgrade.
Kraan is the oldest sibling in a family of 14 children. Initially she trained in handball, while working as a police officer, and changed to athletics only in 1954, aged 21. At her first major race in 1958 she improved the Dutch record in the 800 m to 2,16.6. She shaved another 8 seconds from it the next year,[1] and in 1960 qualified for the Olympics, where she was eliminated in a preliminary round.[2] After that she worked hard to improve her running technique and fitness, winning five national titles and setting nine national 800 m records between 1958 and 1963. During that period she also competed in 400 m, 440 yd and 880 yd races. In 1962 she won the 800 m European title with a new European record of 2,02.8.[3] At the next Olympics in 1964 she finished in seventh place in the final of the 800 m.[1]
