Ann Jansson

Ann Jansson (born 1 July 1958) is a Swedish former racewalking athlete. She represented her country at the World Championships in Athletics, IAAF World Indoor Championships and six times at the IAAF World Race Walking Cup. She was a medallist at the European Athletics Championships in 1986.

Ann Jansson
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  Sweden
European Championships
1986 Stuttgart10 km walk
World Race Walking Cup
1981 ValenciaTeam
1979 EschbornTeam

She was a pioneer in the early period of international women's walking and broke several European records. Her 10 kilometres race walk time of 47:58.2 minutes in 1981 was the first ever ratified by the European Athletics Association and she improved this to 47:49.3 the following year, and twice more to 46:14.3 in 1985 and 46:13.2 in 1986. Her record was beaten that same year by Soviet walker Aleksandra Grigoryeva. Her 20 kilometres race walk time of 1:36:37 in 1985 was the best ever recorded by a European woman, though the woman's event was not an officially recognised one at that point.[1] In world rankings, she was the world's number one 10 km walker in 1981, having been the second best to Briton Carol Tyson a year earlier.[2]

In international competition, her greatest achievement was a silver medal in the 10 km walk at the 1986 European Athletics Championships, finishing behind Spain's Mari Cruz Díaz in the first ever women's European Championships event in walking.[3] The following year she took part in the first World Championships event and was eleventh in the women's 10 km walk. She was also a competitor in the first major women's indoor walking races, coming fifth at the 1985 IAAF World Indoor Games, sixth at the 1987 IAAF World Indoor Championships and seventh at the 1988 European Athletics Indoor Championships.[4] She raced at six consecutive edition of the IAAF World Race Walking Cup from 1979 to 1989, with her best finish being fifth in 1981. She was twice a team silver medallist with Sweden at that event.[5]

Jansson was a dominant figure at national level. At the Swedish Athletics Championships she was a twenty-time national champion. She won the 3000 m title from 1979 to 1986 (interrupted once by Britt Holmquist in 1980), won six 5000 m titles from 1980 to 1987 (losing twice to Siv Gustafsson) and won seven 10 km road titles from 1980 to 1987 (losing to Gustafsson in 1984).[6] At regional level, she was a five-time champion at the Nordic Race Walking Championships (three in 5 km, twice in 10 km).[7]

Jansson was twice winner at the prestigious annual Coppa Città di Sesto San Giovanni meet.[8]

Personal bests

International competitions

YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
1976 Nordic Indoor Race Walking Championships Östersund, Sweden 2nd 3000 m walk (junior) 15:10[9]
1979 World Race Walking Cup Eschborn, West Germany 17th 5 km walk 24:45
2nd Team 74 pts
Nordic Race Walking Championships Härnösand, Sweden 2nd 5000 m walk 24:19
1981 World Race Walking Cup Valencia, Spain 5th 5 km walk 23:42.2
2nd Team 104 pts
Nordic Race Walking Championships Frøya, Norway 1st 5 km walk 23:57
1983 World Race Walking Cup Bergen, Norway 14th 10 km walk 47:42
4th Team 118 pts
Nordic Race Walking Championships Copenhagen, Denmark 1st 10 km walk 48:27
1985 World Indoor Games Paris, France 5th 3000 m walk 13:47.18
World Race Walking Cup St John's, Isle of Man 11th 10 km walk 47:16
5th Team 58 pts
Nordic Race Walking Championships Pori, Finland 1st 5000 m walk 22:17.1
1st 10,000 m walk 46:39.2
1986 European Championships Stuttgart, West Germany 2nd 10 km walk 46.14
1987 World Indoor Championships Indianapolis, United States 6th 3000 m walk 13:04.29
World Race Walking Cup New York City, United States 9th 10 km walk 45:24
7th Team 146 pts
Nordic Race Walking Championships Gimo, Sweden 1st 5 km walk 22:06
World Championships Rome, Italy 11th 10 km walk 46:15
1988 European Indoor Championships Budapest, Hungary 7th 3000 m walk 13:09.04
1989 World Race Walking Cup L'Hospitalet, Spain 43rd 10 km walk 48:15
12th Team 137 pts

National titles

  • Swedish Athletics Championships
    • 3000 m walk: 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986
    • 5000 m walk: 1980, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987
    • 10 km walk: 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987

References

  1. European Records Progression (Women) Archived 2012-11-16 at the Wayback Machine. RSparks. Retrieved on 2017-01-21.
  2. World Top Performers 1980-2005: Women (Outdoor). GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2017-01-21.
  3. European Championships (Women). GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2017-01-21.
  4. Ann Jansson. IAAF. Retrieved on 2017-01-21.
  5. IAAF World Race Walking Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2017-01-21.
  6. Swedish Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2017-01-21.
  7. Nordic Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2017-01-21.
  8. Opuscolo Archived 2018-10-31 at the Wayback Machine. Sesto San Giovanni. Retrieved on 2013-05-06.
  9. Nordic Indoor Racewalking Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2017-01-21.
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