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| Event type

200 metres, Women

Date5 – 6 August 1948
StatusOlympic
LocationEmpire Stadium, Wembley, London
Participants33 from 17 countries

Just looking at the results, Fanny Blankers-Koen’s victory in the 200 metres was the easiest. Her margin of victory over Audrey Williamson of 7 tenths is the largest ever in the event. But after the heats, Blankers-Koen had to combat a severe bout of home-sickness. She was sick of all the media attention and pressure, and wanted to go home to her two children. Only after a long talk with her coach and husband, 1928 Olympian Jan Blankers, she decided to start the semi-finals. Her eyes still red from the tears, she dominated her race. On a wet and muddy track, she paced to a third gold medal the next day.

Third placed Mickey Patterson is noted as the first Afro-American woman to win an Olympic medal; high jumper Alice Coachman won the first gold medal the next day. However, it was later revealed that Patterson actually had finished in fourth place, as the finish photo clearly showed Shirley Strickland crossing the line earlier.

PosNrAthleteNOCR1SFFinal
1692Fanny Blankers-KoenNED25.7 (1 h1)24.3 (1 h1)24.4 (1)GoldOR
2723Audrey WilliamsonGBR25.4 (1 h7)24.9w (=1 h2)25.1 (2)Silver
3668Shirley StricklandAUS25.8 (2 h4)24.9w (=1 h2)25.3est (3)
4707Mickey PattersonUSA25.5w (1 h5)25.0 (2 h1)25.2 (4)Bronze
5722Margaret WalkerGBR25.8w (2 h5)25.3 (3 h1)25.6est (5)
6705Daphne RobbRSA25.3 (1 h4)25.1w (3 h2)25.7est (6)
4 h1 r2/3702Cynthia ThompsonJAM25.6 (1 h2)– (4 h1)
4 h2 r2/3721Sylvia CheesemanGBR25.7 (2 h2)– (4 h2)
5 h1 r2/3720Rosine FaugouinFRA25.9 (2 h6)– (5 h1)
5 h2 r2/3966Nel KarelseNED26.0 (2 h7)– (5 h2)
6 h1 r2/3666Joyce KingAUS25.9 (1 h3)– (6 h1)
6 h2 r2/3688Liliane SprécherFRA26.0 (2 h1)– (6 h2)
7 h1 r2/3674Phyllis LightbournBER27.0 (2 h3)– (7 h1)
7 h2 r2/3667Betty McKinnonAUS25.9 (1 h6)– (7 h2)
3 h1 r1/3725Mae FaggsUSA26.0 (3 h1)
3 h2 r1/3715Diane FosterCAN26.1 (3 h2)
3 h3 r1/3714Lucila PiniBRA27.6 (3 h3)
3 h4 r1/3726Nell JacksonUSA25.8 (3 h4)
3 h5 r1/3701Kathleen RussellJAM26.3w (3 h5)
3 h6 r1/3693Gré de JonghNED26.2 (3 h6)
3 h7 r1/3678Millie CheaterCAN26.4 (3 h7)
4 h1 r1/3713Melânia LuzBRA26.6est (4 h1)
4 h2 r1/3675Helena de MenezesBRA27.7est (4 h2)
4 h3 r1/3672Marie-Thérèse RenardBEL28.5est (4 h3)
4 h4 r1/3716Donna GilmoreCAN– (4 h4)
4 h5 r1/3724Ann-Britt LeymanSWE26.3west (4 h5)
4 h6 r1/3670Grete PavlousekAUT– (4 h6)
5 h1 r1/3673Phyllis EdnessBER– (5 h1)
5 h4 r1/3710Alma ButiaYUG– (5 h4)
5 h5 r1/3703Tilly DeckerLUX– (5 h5)
6 h5 r1/3681Betty KretschmerCHI– (6 h5)
AC h3 r1/3682Olga ŠicnerováTCH– (DNF h3)
AC h7 r1/3719Annegret WellerCHI– (DQ h7)
DNS712Elisabeth RanftlAUT– (DNS h7)
DNS686Léa CaurlaFRA– (DNS h7)
DNS711Grete JennyAUT– (DNS h2)
DNS718Adriana MillardCHI– (DNS h6)
DNS700Carmen PhippsJAM– (DNS h6)

Round One (5 August 1948 — 15:30)

Top two in each heat advanced to the semi-finals.

Heat One

Wind0.0 m/s
PosLaneAthleteNOCTime (H)Time (A)
11Fanny Blankers-KoenNED25.725.9QOR
22Liliane SprécherFRA26.0Q
35Mae FaggsUSA26.0
43Melânia LuzBRA26.6est
54Phyllis EdnessBER

Heat Two

Wind1.1 m/s
PosLaneAthleteNOCTime (H)Time (A)
15Cynthia ThompsonJAM25.625.7QOR
21Sylvia CheesemanGBR25.7Q
34Diane FosterCAN26.1
42Helena de MenezesBRA27.7est
DNS3Grete JennyAUT

Heat Three

Wind1.4 m/s
PosLaneAthleteNOCTime (H)Time (A)
11Joyce KingAUS25.926.1Q
24Phyllis LightbournBER27.0Q
33Lucila PiniBRA27.6
45Marie-Thérèse RenardBEL28.5est
DNF2Olga ŠicnerováTCH

Heat Four

Wind1.8 m/s
PosLaneAthleteNOCTime (H)Time (A)
12Daphne RobbRSA25.325.5QOR
21Shirley StricklandAUS25.8Q
34Nell JacksonUSA25.8
43Donna GilmoreCAN
55Alma ButiaYUG

Heat Five

Wind2.5 m/s
PosLaneAthleteNOCTime (H)Time (A)
11Mickey PattersonUSA25.5w25.9wQ
22Margaret WalkerGBR25.8wQ
35Kathleen RussellJAM26.3w
44Ann-Britt LeymanSWE26.3west
56Tilly DeckerLUX
63Betty KretschmerCHI

Heat Six

Wind1.0 m/s
PosLaneAthleteNOCTime (H)Time (A)
13Betty McKinnonAUS25.926.1Q
26Rosine FaugouinFRA25.9Q
31Gré de JonghNED26.2
42Grete PavlousekAUT
DNS4Adriana MillardCHI
DNS5Carmen PhippsJAM

Heat Seven

Wind0.7 m/s
PosLaneAthleteNOCTime (H)Time (A)
11Audrey WilliamsonGBR25.425.6Q
22Nel KarelseNED26.0Q
35Millie CheaterCAN26.4
DQ4Annegret WellerCHI
DNS3Elisabeth RanftlAUT
DNS6Léa CaurlaFRA

Semi-Finals (5 August 1948 — 17:00)

Top three in each heat advanced to the final.

Heat One

Wind1.7 m/s
PosNrAthleteNOCTime (H)Time (A)
1692Fanny Blankers-KoenNED24.324.4QOR
2707Mickey PattersonUSA25.025.02Q
3722Margaret WalkerGBR25.325.42Q
4702Cynthia ThompsonJAM25.67
5720Rosine FaugouinFRA25.73
6666Joyce KingAUS25.78
7674Phyllis LightbournBER

Heat Two

Wind3.4 m/s
Wind3.4 m/s
PosNrAthleteNOCTime (H)Time (A)
=1668Shirley StricklandAUS24.9w25.1wQ
=1723Audrey WilliamsonGBR24.9w25.11Q
3705Daphne RobbRSA25.1w25.22Q
4721Sylvia CheesemanGBR25.48
5966Nel KarelseNED25.68
6688Liliane SprécherFRA25.72
7667Betty McKinnonAUS25.85

Final (6 August 1948 — 16:30)

Wind0.0 m/s
PosLaneAthleteNOCTime (H)Time (A)
12Fanny Blankers-KoenNED24.424.4OR
25Audrey WilliamsonGBR25.125.20
46Mickey PattersonUSA25.225.261
33Shirley StricklandAUS25.3est25.252
54Margaret WalkerGBR25.6est25.59
61Daphne RobbRSA25.7est25.65