Tini Koopmans

Tini Koopmans was a talented all-round track and field athlete who won five Dutch titles in the 1930s. Koopmans participated in field hockey, swimming, and gymnastics in her youth, but she stood out in athletics. By the early 1930s she had even founded her own athletics club; the Atalanta in her hometown of Groningen. In 1933 she won her first national championship with victory in the high jump, retaining the title in 1934 and 1935. Koopmans also won the Dutch title in the discus throw in 1935 and the shot put title in 1936. Her performances earned her a place on the Dutch Olympic team for the 1936 Berlin Games. She competed in the high jump and discus in Berlin, finishing 14th and 16th, respectively. By the 1950s Koopmans had married and emigrated with her husband to Melbourne, Australia. After some initial hardships, including being forced to live in tents on a farm, the couple found employment with Koopmans, where Tini became a physiotherapy assistant and later a physical education teacher at a private school.

Personal Bests: HJ – 1.57 (1937); DT – 38.09 (1938).