Foekje Dillema
Dutch track and field athlete (1926–2007)
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Key Takeaways
- Foekje Dillema ( pronounced [ˈfukjə ˈdɪləmaː] ; 18 September 1926 – 5 December 2007) was a Dutch track and field athlete.
- When she refused a sex verification test at age 24, she was banned from competition by the International Association of Athletics Federations in 1950.
- Early life Foekje Dillema was born on 18 September 1926 in Burum, Friesland in the Netherlands.
- Career 1948 On 13 June 1948, Dillema debuted in Marsum, where the 21-year-old ran the 100 metres in 13 s.
- 5 s in the 100 metres, resulting in 4th place in the heats, and 26.
Foekje Dillema (pronounced [ˈfukjə ˈdɪləmaː]; 18 September 1926 – 5 December 2007) was a Dutch track and field athlete. She competed in sprinting where she was a rival of Fanny Blankers-Koen. When she refused a sex verification test at age 24, she was banned from competition by the International Association of Athletics Federations in 1950. After her death, it was determined that she was an intersex person.
Early life
Foekje Dillema was born on 18 September 1926 in Burum, Friesland in the Netherlands.
She started running at the age of twelve.
Career
1948
On 13 June 1948, Dillema debuted in Marsum, where the 21-year-old ran the 100 metres in 13 s.
About a month later, she competed in the Dutch Championships in Eindhoven, where she ran 12.5 s in the 100 metres, resulting in 4th place in the heats, and 26.2 s in the 200 metres, resulting in 4th place in the final.
1949
In 1949, Dillema did not compete in the Dutch Championships due to an injury of her thigh.
Dillema was named "athlete of the match" in 1949 after winning the 100 metres and 200 metres race during a tournament in London. She was an important rival for another Dutch athlete Fanny Blankers-Koen, who won four gold medals during the 1948 Summer Olympics.
1950
In 1950, Dillema was banned from competition for life by the IAAF. Dillema had refused to go to a mandatory sex test for the European championships in Brussels in August 1950. Dillema was the first subject of a mandatory gender verification. The IAAF introduced mandatory sex verification in 1950 and continued this practice until 1992. Dillema's national record of 24.1 seconds for the 200 metres was erased.
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