Anna Dresden-Polak
Dutch gymnast (1906–1943)
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Anna "Ans" Dresden-Polak (née Anna Polak) (24 November 1906 – 23 July 1943) was a Jewish Dutch gymnast.[1][2][3]
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| Ans Polak | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Anna Polak in 1928 | |||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | 24 November 1906 | ||||||||||||||
| Died | 23 July 1943 (aged 36) | ||||||||||||||
| Gymnastics career | |||||||||||||||
| Discipline | Women's artistic gymnastics | ||||||||||||||
Country represented | |||||||||||||||
Medal record
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She won the gold medal as a member of the Dutch gymnastics team at the 1928 Summer Olympics, in her native Amsterdam.[4][5][6] She was one of five Jewish members of the team, which included Stella Blits-Agsteribbe (who was murdered in Auschwitz), Lea Kloot-Nordheim (who was murdered in Sobibor), and Judikje Themans-Simons (who was murdered in Sobibor).[3][5] Their coach, Gerrit Kleerekoper, was murdered in Sobibor as well.[5][7]
She was born in Amsterdam, and was murdered in Sobibor extermination camp. From Westerbork concentration camp, she had been deported to Sobibór, where she was murdered on 23 July 1943,[8] together with her six-year-old daughter Eva.[9][10] Her husband, Barend Dresden was murdered a few months later in 1944 in Auschwitz concentration camp.[10][11][12]
She was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1997.[4][13]