THE HAGUE, Jan 25: Dutch athletics legend Fanny Blankers-Koen has died in a nursing home aged 85 after suffering from serious heart and brain problems over the past few years, her daughter revealed on Sunday.

Blankers-Koen, known as the 'flying housewife' and who was named athlete of the 20th century by the sport's governing body the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) in 1999, won four gold medals at the 1948 Olympics in London.

She won the 100m, 200m, 80m hurdles and the 4x100m relay in London and is the only female athlete to have won four Olympic titles at the same games. She went on to win three European titles at the 1950 championships and held 16 world records as well as winning 58 national titles mainly in the sprints but also in long jump and pentathlon. Her funeral will take place on Thursday.-AFP