Ann Jansson (racewalker)

For the Swedish footballer, see Ann Jansson (footballer).

Ann Jansson (born 1 July 1958) is a Swedish former racewalking athlete.

Ann Jansson

Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  Sweden
European Championships
	1986 Stuttgart	10 km walk
World Race Walking Cup
	1981 Valencia	Team
	1979 Eschborn	Team

Career

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.

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

• 3000 metres race walk – 13:04.29 min (1987)
• 5 kilometres race walk – 23:08 min (1987)
• 10 kilometres race walk – 45:24 min (1987)
• 20 kilometres race walk – 1:34:59 min (1987)

International competitions

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
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.

External links

• Ann Jansson at World Athletics