Cornelli "Nelli" Antoinette Hariëtte Cooman (born 6 June 1964) is a former Dutch athlete of Surinamese origin. At the 60 metres, she is two-time World indoor champion, six-time European indoor champion and former world record holder, running 7.00 secs in 1986. She also won 19 national titles.[1]

Early life

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 Junior Championships in Utrecht and finished seventh in the 100 m sprint. At seventeen, she won the silver medal in the National Championships. After graduating secondary school, she turned professional with Henk Kraaijenhof as trainer.

Professional career

During her time as a professional athlete from 1984 to 1995, she was twice world indoor champion in the 60 m (1987 and 1989), and six times European indoor champion. At the 1986 European Indoor Championships, she won in a time of 7.00 seconds, setting a world record. Because of that achievement, she was elected Dutch Sportswoman of the year. Her world record lasted until February 1992 and still stands as national record. Cooman took part twice in the Summer Olympics for the Netherlands: in 1988 in the 100 metres and 4 × 100 m relay and in 1992 in 100 metres.[1]

In 1995, Cooman ended her career as a professional athlete.

Personal bests

Personal best performances[2]
Event Time Location Date Record
50 metres 6.19 i Ottawa, Canada 31 January 1987 NR
55 metres 6.65 i New York, New York, United States 30 January 1987
60 metres 7.00 i Madrid, Spain 23 February 1986 NR
100 metres 11.08 i Stuttgart, Germany 27 August 1986
11.08 i Seoul, South Korea 24 September 1988

International competitions

Representing the  Netherlands
Year Competition Venue Position Event Result
1984 European Indoor Championships Gothenburg, Sweden 3rd 60 m 7.23 i
1985 European Indoor Championships Piraeus, Greece 1st 60 m 7.10 i
1986 European Indoor Championships Madrid, Spain 1st 60 m 7.00 i
European Championships Stuttgart, West Germany 3rd 100 m 11.08
7th 4 × 100 m relay 44.38
1987 European Indoor Championships Lievin, France 1st 60 m 7.01 i
World Indoor Championships Indianapolis, Indiana, United States 1st 60 m 7.08 i
World Championships Rome, Italy 13th (sf) 100 m 11.21
1988 European Indoor Championships Budapest, Hungary 1st 60 m 7.04 i
Olympic Games Seoul, South Korea 12th (sf) 100 m 11.13
8th (sf) 4 × 100 m relay 43.48
1989 European Indoor Championships The Hague, Netherlands 1st 60 m 7.15 i
World Indoor Championships Budapest, Hungary 1st 60 m 7.05 i
1990 European Indoor Championships Glasgow, United Kingdom 3rd 60 m 7.14 i
1991 World Indoor Championships Seville, Spain 9th (sf) 60 m 7.28 i
1992 Olympic Games Barcelona, Spain 17th (qf) 100 m 11.55
1993 World Indoor Championships Toronto, Canada 7th 60 m 7.29 i
1994 European Indoor Championships Paris, France 1st 60 m 7.17 i
European Championships Helsinki, Finland 5th 100 m 11.40
1995 World Indoor Championships Barcelona, Spain 6th 60 m 7.17 i

Trivia

Since 1997, the Nelli Cooman Games are organised in the city of Stadskanaal. At first, these games were only for youth-category competitors, but they grew to be a national A-status KNAU (Royal Dutch Athletics Federation) event. Cooman is the honorary chairwoman of this event.[1]

Dutch singer Gerard Cox wrote a song about Nelli Cooman to a tune by Stevie Wonder.

References

  1. ^ a b c Nelli Fiere-Cooman. olympedia.org
  2. ^ "Nelli Cooman", World Athletics. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
Records
First Women's 60 metres world record holder
1986 – 1992 		Succeeded by
Awards
Preceded by KNAU Cup
1986
1994 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Succeeded by
Preceded by Dutch Sportswoman of the Year
1986 		Succeeded by
Allikas: Https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelli_Fiere
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