Janet Kohan-Sedq

Who was Janet Kohan-Sedq?

Janet Cohansedgh is a former Iranian athlete who died at the height of her career. She was a national champion and holder of a number of records in the early and mid-1960s. A graduate of the Anushiravan High School, she received a degree in physical education from the University of Tehran. Her crowning achievement was at a track and field meet in October 1965. There, Cohansedgh broke the 100 metre and 60 metre hurdle records. The 35,000 people in the stadium began to chant her name and she was named athlete of the year by sports weekly, Keyhan-e-varzeshi. In 1964, along with five other female athletes, Cohansedgh was among the first Iranian women to attend and compete in the national Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. In addition to representing Iran in the Olympics, she was also invited to and competed in several international competitions including the Asian Games in Israel. In June 1972, she died in a car crash along with the captain of the Iran women's national basketball team, Simin Shafiqi. In her memory, both the University of Tehran and the Iranian Track and Field Federation instituted yearly competitions in her name.