Grete Waitz, who won nine New York City marathons and the silver medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, has died of cancer. She was 57.
Helle Aanesen, the manager of the Active Against Cancer Foundation in Norway, said Waitz died early on Tuesday in an Oslo hospital. Waitz had been battling cancer for six years.
Waitz won her first New York City marathon in 1978, setting a world best in two hours, 32 minutes and 30 seconds. She went on to win eight more times, with her last victory coming in 1988.
Waitz also won the gold medal in the marathon at the 1983 world championships in Helsinki, Finland. A year later she took second behind Joan Benoit in the first women's Olympic marathon. She also competed at the 1972 and 1976 Olympics in the 1,500 metres, but missed the 1980 Moscow Games because of the American-led boycott.
"Grete is in my eyes one of the greatest Norwegian athletes of all time," the Norwegian Athletics Federation president, Svein Arne Hansen, said. "Not only through her performances in the sport, but also as a role model for women in sports."
Aanesen said a private funeral ceremony is planned for next week, according to Waitz's wishes. Waitz is survived by her husband Jack and her two brothers, Jan and Arild.