Nelli Cooman
Encyclopedia
Cornelli Antoinette Hariëtte Cooman (born June 6, 1964 in Paramaribo
) is a former Dutch
athlete of Suriname
se origin. She was World Champion
twice, six times European Champion
and nineteen times national Champion of the Netherlands
.
Cooman grew up in Suriname in a family together with four sisters and one brother. When she was eight, the family moved to Rotterdam
in the Netherlands. She started to play soccer and soon got the nickname "Miss Pele". At sixteen, she was discovered to be a very good sprinter
during a sporting event at school; thus she began a career in athletics. Three months later, she competed in the European Youth Championships in Utrecht
and finished seventh in the 100 metres
sprint. Shortly after, she set a sprint record in the youth category. At seventeen, she won the Silver medal in the National Championships. After graduating secondary school she turned professional with Henk Kraaijenhof as trainer.
During her time as a professional athlete from 1984 to 1995 she became World Champion 60 metres
indoor two times (1987
in Indianapolis
and 1989
in Budapest
), and European Champion six times. At the European Indoor Championships
in Madrid
in 1986 she won in a time of 7.00 seconds, a world record
at the time. Because of that achievement she was elected Sportvrouw van het jaar
(most important sportwoman of that year). Her world record lasted until February 1992 and her time of 7.00 seconds still stands as national record for 60 metres. Nelli Cooman took part twice in the Olympic Games
for the Netherlands; during the 1988 Summer Olympics
in Seoul
in the 4 x 100 metres relay
and in the 1992 Summer Olympics
in Barcelona
in 100 metres sprint
.
In 1995, she ended her career as a professional athlete.
. At first these games were only for youth-category competitors but they grew to be a national A-status KNAU (Royal Dutch Track and Field Union) event. Nelli Cooman is 'honorary chairwoman' of this event.
singer Gerard Cox
wrote a song about Nelli Cooman to a tune by Stevie Wonder
.
Paramaribo
Paramaribo is the capital and largest city of Suriname, located on banks of the Suriname River in the Paramaribo District. Paramaribo has a population of roughly 250,000 people, more than half of Suriname's population...
) is a former Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
athlete of Suriname
Suriname
Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
se origin. She was World Champion
IAAF World Championships in Athletics
The World Championships in Athletics is an event organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations . Originally, it was organised every four years, but this changed in 1991, and it has since been organised biennially.-History:...
twice, six times European Champion
European Championships in Athletics
The European Athletics Championships is an event organized by the European Athletic Association. It is organised every four years, the same year as the Commonwealth Games and between the Summer Olympic Games cycle. After the 2010 Championships in Barcelona, the European Championships will take...
and nineteen times national Champion of the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
Cooman grew up in Suriname in a family together with four sisters and one brother. When she was eight, the family moved to Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
in the Netherlands. She started to play soccer and soon got the nickname "Miss Pele". At sixteen, she was discovered to be a very good sprinter
Sprint (race)
Sprints are short running events in athletics and track and field. Races over short distances are among the oldest running competitions. The first 13 editions of the Ancient Olympic Games featured only one event—the stadion race, which was a race from one end of the stadium to the other...
during a sporting event at school; thus she began a career in athletics. Three months later, she competed in the European Youth Championships in Utrecht
Utrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
and finished seventh in the 100 metres
100 metres
The 100 metres, or 100-metre dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, it is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896...
sprint. Shortly after, she set a sprint record in the youth category. At seventeen, she won the Silver medal in the National Championships. After graduating secondary school she turned professional with Henk Kraaijenhof as trainer.
During her time as a professional athlete from 1984 to 1995 she became World Champion 60 metres
60 metres
60 metres is a sprint event in track and field athletics. It is a championship event for indoor championships, normally dominated by the best outdoor 100 metres runners. At outdoor venues it is a rare distance, at least for senior athletes...
indoor two times (1987
1987 IAAF World Indoor Championships
The 1st IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics were held in Indianapolis, United States from March 6 to March 8, 1987. The championship had previously been known as the World Indoor Games, which were held once before changing the name....
in Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
and 1989
1989 IAAF World Indoor Championships
The 2nd IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics were held at the Budapest Sportcsarnok in Budapest, Hungary from March 3 to March 5, 1989. There were a total number of 373 participating athletes from 62 countries.-Men:1985 | 1987 | 1989 | 1991 | 1993...
in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
), and European Champion six times. At the European Indoor Championships
1986 European Indoor Championships in Athletics
The 17th European Athletics Indoor Championships were held in Madrid, a city in Spain, in 1986.- Track :- Field :- Medal table :- External links :* at GBRathletics.com* at GBRathletics.com*...
in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
in 1986 she won in a time of 7.00 seconds, a world record
World records in athletics
World records in the sport of athletics are ratified by the International Association of Athletics Federations. Athletics records comprise the best performances in the sports of track and field, road running and racewalking....
at the time. Because of that achievement she was elected Sportvrouw van het jaar
Dutch Sportsman of the year
The Dutch Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year are chosen annually by Dutch athletes from a shortlist compiled by sports journalists. The elections are organized by the Dutch Olympic Committee.- Sporter of the Year :...
(most important sportwoman of that year). Her world record lasted until February 1992 and her time of 7.00 seconds still stands as national record for 60 metres. Nelli Cooman took part twice in the Olympic Games
Summer Olympic Games
The Summer Olympic Games or the Games of the Olympiad are an international multi-sport event, occurring every four years, organized by the International Olympic Committee. Medals are awarded in each event, with gold medals for first place, silver for second and bronze for third, a tradition that...
for the Netherlands; during the 1988 Summer Olympics
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...
in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
in the 4 x 100 metres relay
4 x 100 metres relay
The 4 × 100 metres relay or sprint relay is an athletics track event run in lanes over one lap of the track with four runners completing 100 metres each. The first runners begin in the same stagger as for the individual 400 m race...
and in the 1992 Summer Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
in 100 metres sprint
Sprint (race)
Sprints are short running events in athletics and track and field. Races over short distances are among the oldest running competitions. The first 13 editions of the Ancient Olympic Games featured only one event—the stadion race, which was a race from one end of the stadium to the other...
.
In 1995, she ended her career as a professional athlete.
Achievements on EC and IAAF WC
- 1984: 3rd - EC Göteburg (60m)
- 1985: 1st - EC Athens (60m)
- 1986: 1st - EC Madrid (60m) (worldrecord: 7.00 sec)
- 1986: 3rd - EC Stuttgart (100m)
- 1987: 1st - EC Lievin (60m)
- 1987: 1st - WC Indianapolis (60m)
- 1988: 1st - EC Budapest (60m)
- 1989: 1st - EC The Hague (60m)
- 1989: 1st - WC Budapest (60m)
- 1990: 3rd - EC Glasgow (60m)
- 1994: 1st - EC Paris (60m)
- 1994: 6th - EC Helsinki (100m)
Nelli Cooman Games
From 1997 on the Nelli Cooman Games are organised in the city of StadskanaalStadskanaal
Stadskanaal is a Canal, municipality and a town in the northeastern Netherlands.The area is known for its peat mining.- Population centres :...
. At first these games were only for youth-category competitors but they grew to be a national A-status KNAU (Royal Dutch Track and Field Union) event. Nelli Cooman is 'honorary chairwoman' of this event.
Trivia
DutchNetherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
singer Gerard Cox
Gerard Cox
Gerard Cox is a Dutch singer, cabaret artist and actor.-Albums:*1966: Gerard Cox*1971: Wie Wijst Gerard Cox De Weg...?*1972: Vrijblijvend...*1973: De Beste Van Gerard Cox...
wrote a song about Nelli Cooman to a tune by Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
.