To those with only a passing knowledge of athletics it might have come as something of a surprise last month when America's Track and Field News magazine named Polish sprinter Irena Szewinska as the greatest female athlete of all time.
- To those with only a passing knowledge of athletics it might have come as something of a surprise last month when America’s Track and Field News magazine named Polish sprinter Irena Szewinska as the greatest female athlete of all time.
She is Poland’s most decorated Olympian and her list of achievements is nothing short of astonishing, starting at the 1964 Olympics when she won silver medals in the 200 metres and long jump and a glorious gold in the sprint relay. She also scooped up 10 world records over 16 years at the top. Four years later in Montreal she decided to skip 100m and 200m and focus on the 400m, having become the first woman to break 50seconds in 1974. In the final Szewinska won by a street in a world record 49.28 seconds - a time that would have been good enough for gold in almost every Olympics since.
She was later active in several sports organizations, including the Polish Olympic Committee and International Olympic Committee, to which she was appointed in 1998.
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On this day: Born May 24, 1946: Irena Szewinska, Polish athlete, administratorTo those with only a passing knowledge of athletics it might have come as something of a surprise last month when America's Track and Field News magazine named Polish sprinter Irena Szewinska as the greatest female athlete of all time.
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On this day: Born May 24, 1946: Irena Szewinska, Polish athlete, administratorTo those with only a passing knowledge of athletics it might have come as something of a surprise last month when America's Track and Field News magazine named Polish sprinter Irena Szewinska as the greatest female athlete of all time.
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