Gerda Kraan

Gerda Kraan in 1961
Personal information
Born	(1933-07-30) 30 July 1933 (age 91) Leiden, Netherlands
Height	1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Weight	65 kg (143 lb)
Sport
Sport	Running
Club	De Bataven, Leiden
Medal record Representing  Netherlands European Championships Belgrade 1962 800 metres

Gerarda "Gerda" Maria Kraan (Dutch: [ɣeːˈrɑrdaː ˈɣɛrdaː maːˈrijaː ˈkraːn]; 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]