# Nelli Cooman

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 :
| 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 | |
| 100 metres | 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 |
| 1986 | European Championships | Stuttgart, West Germany | 3rd | 100 m | 11.08 |
| 1986 | European Championships | Stuttgart, West Germany | 7th | 4 × 100 m relay | 44.38 |
| 1987 | European Indoor Championships | Lievin, France | 1st | 60 m | 7.01 i |
| 1987 | World Indoor Championships | Indianapolis, Indiana, United States | 1st | 60 m | 7.08 i |
| 1987 | World Championships | Rome, Italy | 13th (sf) | 100 m | 11.21 |
| 1988 | European Indoor Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 1st | 60 m | 7.04 i |
| 1988 | Olympic Games | Seoul, South Korea | 12th (sf) | 100 m | 11.13 |
| 1988 | Olympic Games | Seoul, South Korea | 8th (sf) | 4 × 100 m relay | 43.48 |
| 1989 | European Indoor Championships | The Hague, Netherlands | 1st | 60 m | 7.15 i |
| 1989 | 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 |
| 1994 | 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.
Dutch singer Gerard Cox wrote a song about Nelli Cooman to a tune by Stevie Wonder.