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.
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.
In 1995, Cooman ended her career as a professional athlete.
Personal bests +Personal best performances"Nelli Cooman", World Athletics. Retrieved 6 March 2025.EventLocation DateRecord50 metres6.19 Ottawa, Canada31 January 198755 metres6.65 New York City, United States30 January 198760 metres7.00 Madrid, Spain23 February 1986100 metres11.08 Stuttgart, Germany27 August 198611.08 Seoul, South Korea24 September 1988
International competitions 1984European Indoor ChampionshipsGothenburg, Sweden 3rd60 m7.23 1985European Indoor ChampionshipsPiraeus, Greece1st60 m7.10 1986European Indoor ChampionshipsMadrid, Spain1st60 m7.00 European ChampionshipsStuttgart, West Germany3rd100 m11.087th4 × 100 m relay44.381987European Indoor ChampionshipsLievin, France1st60 m7.01 World Indoor ChampionshipsIndianapolis, United States1st60 m7.08 World ChampionshipsRome, Italy13th ()100 m11.211988European Indoor ChampionshipsBudapest, Hungary1st60 m7.04 Olympic GamesSeoul, South Korea12th ()100 m11.138th ()4 × 100 m relay43.481989European Indoor ChampionshipsThe Hague, Netherlands1st60 m7.15 World Indoor ChampionshipsBudapest, Hungary 1st60 m7.05 1990European Indoor ChampionshipsGlasgow, United Kingdom3rd60 m7.14 1991World Indoor ChampionshipsSeville, Spain9th ()60 m7.28 1992Olympic GamesBarcelona, Spain17th ()100 m11.551993World Indoor ChampionshipsToronto, Canada7th60 m7.29 1994European Indoor ChampionshipsParis, France1st60 m7.17 European ChampionshipsHelsinki, Finland5th100 m11.401995World Indoor ChampionshipsBarcelona, Spain6th60 m7.17
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.
Dutch singer Gerard Cox wrote a song about Nelli Cooman to a tune by Stevie Wonder.
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