| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ellen Gezina Maria van Langen | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1966-02-06)6 February 1966 (age 59) Oldenzaal, Netherlands | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | University of Amsterdam | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Netherlands | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Track and field | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Event | 800 metres | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||||||
Ellen Gezina Maria van Langen (Dutch:[ˈɛlə(ŋ)ɣeːˈzinaːmaːˈrijaːvɑnˈlɑŋə(n)]; born 9 February 1966) is a Dutch formermiddle distancerunner, who specialised in the800 metres. A talented but injury-ridden athlete, she was the1992 Olympic Champion for thewomen's 800 meters. She is now the director of theFBK Games (the Hengelo meeting).
Van Langen was born inOldenzaal,Overijssel. Before she started running she playedfootball. She only started to run seriously at 20. In 1989, she won her first of four national championships in the 800 meters and went on to win a silver medal behindAna Quirot (Cuba) at the World Student Games (Universiade), running 1:59.82. In 1990, she finished fourth in the final of theEuropean Championships in Split, with a Dutch national record of 1:57.57, behind the East German athletesSigrun Wodars (gold),Christine Wachtel (silver) andLiliya Nurutdinova (bronze) from the Soviet Union.
During the year 1991, she was troubled by anAchilles tendon injury. At theTokyo World Championships she was eliminated in the heats. The next year, leading up to the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, she defeated Tokyo gold medallist Liliya Nurutdinova at theFanny Blankers-Koen Games inHengelo on 28 June in 1:56.66, the fastest time of the season prior to the Games. Just two weeks before the Olympics, she ran another fast time of 1:56.92 atHechtel.[1]
At the1992 Olympic Games inBarcelona, Van Langen won the Olympic title in the 800 metres in a time of 1:55.54, a time which is still theDutch national record. Fearing her final sprint, her competitors including favorites Nurutdinova, Quirot,Ella Kovacs (Romania) andMaria Mutola (Mozambique) set a rapid pace, running the first lap in a very fast time of 55.73, with Van Langen only in 6th position. Entering the final stretch Nurutdinova, who had led the final from the start, had a slight lead but Van Langen moved through on the inside in the last 50m to win a surprise victory, beating Nurutdinova (silver) and Quirot (bronze).[1][2][3]
The year 1992 remained her top year, when she won 10 of her 11 800m races. After her Olympic triumph, she was plagued by various injuries. Her best result after 1992 was a 6th-place finish at the1995 World Championships at Gothenburg. The ongoing injuries prevented her from defending her Olympic title in 1996.[1] She retired from the sport in 1998.[3][4]
Van Langen later explained the secret of her success. "I think what I could do well is I could die very well in a race and still continue,” she said. “That is very hard, because it hurts running the 800 meters. You have to overcome some boundaries in yourself to continue when it hurts like hell. I was good at it. If the Olympic race would have been run by each athlete individual and the fastest time was the winner I would not have won." She added: "I was also good in tactics, looking around me and taking the right decisions."[4]
After hergold medal win in 1992 theAmsterdamunemployment benefits office terminated her dole on grounds that she might earn money from her victory in the future.[5] She has adegree ineconomics from theUniversity of Amsterdam, and currently works as an event manager for Global Sports Communication.[4]
Van Langen is the director of theFanny Blankers-Koen Games inHengelo.[6]
Information fromWorld Athletics profile unless otherwise noted.[7]
| Type | Event | Time (m:s) | Venue | Date | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outdoor | 800 metres | 1:55.54 | Barcelona, Spain | 3 August 1992 | NR |
| 1000 metres | 2:35.21 | Sheffield, United Kingdom | 29 August 1993 | ||
| 1500 metres | 4:06.97 | Lausanne, Switzerland | 6 July 1994 | ||
| One mile | 4:31.88 | Lausanne, Switzerland | 8 July 1992 | ||
| Indoor | 800 metres | 2:00.36i | Liévin, France | 19 February 1995 | |
| 1000 metres | 2:39.65i | Sindelfingen, Germany | 21 January 1990 |
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | KNAU Cup 1990 1992 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Succeeded by | |
| Preceded by | Dutch Sportswoman of the Year 1992 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
