Her talent was discovered during school competition in 1926, when it turned out that she jumped 30 centimetres higher than her classmates. On 3 July 1928 she set an unofficial Dutch record by jumping 1.465 metres, which was followed by a new world record of 1.582 metres. The same year she became the first Dutch female athlete to win an Olympic medal. She improved her world record twice: to 1.608 metres in 1929 and 1.623 metres in 1932. During the 1930 Women's World Games Gisolf became second. When she had to jump a barrage with her only opponent left, German Inge Braumüller, she tore a muscle, ruining her chances for the first place.