Tilly_van_der_Zwaard
Tilly van der Zwaard
Dutch sprinter and middle-distance runner (1938–2019)
Tilly van der Zwaard (18 January 1938 – 6 February 2019)[1] was a middle distance runner from the Netherlands.[2] At the 1962 European Athletics Championships in Belgrade she won a bronze medal in the 400 m event, behind Maria Itkina of the Soviet Union and Joy Grieveson of Great Britain.[3]
Van der Zwaard twice represented her native country in the 400 m event at the Summer Olympics, in 1964 and 1968. Her best achievement was sixth place in 1964.[4]
She was born Mathilda Catrina van der Zwaard in Leiden, Netherlands.[4] On 25 November 1964 she married Ger van der Made[5] and changed her name to van der Made-van der Zwaard.[4] After their divorce, she dropped van der Made from her name. She moved to the United States after retiring from athletics and died February 2019 in Edgewater, Florida.[1][2]