An Illustrated History of Sprints and Relays

The 100-meter dash and the 4 x 100-meter relay were original events when women entered Olympic track and field competition in 1928. The 200-meter run was added in 1948, the 400 in 1964 and the 4 x 400 relay in 1972. Fanny Blankers-Koen of the Netherlands was the first Olympic women's 200-meter gold medalist in 1948. She also won the 100 and the 80-meter hurdles in those London Games.