Pieter van den Hoogenband

Pieter van den Hoogenband , born the March 14th 1978 with Maastricht, is a swimmer Dutch specialist in the tests in freestyle (100 m and 200 m). Triple Olympic champion and current holder of the world records of the test queen of swimming, the 100 m freestyle, " VDH" also gained several medals with the championships of the world (no individual world title, one on relay in small basin) like 17 titles of champion of Europe.

Biography

Beginnings in the Dutch basins

Pieter van den Hoogenband, wire of Cees-Kidney van den Hoogenband and Astrid Verver, a former European medal-holder on 800 m freestyle, grew with Geldrop in the Brabant-Septentrional and started to swim with the general sports club of the PSV Eindhoven where his/her father is doctor of the football club. The swimmer obtains his first rewards as juniors in 1993. The following year it gains three gold medals with the Euro junior organized with Pardubice in Czech Republic. It is distinguished there by gaining the tests from the 100 m, the 200 m and the 400 m freestyle. It takes part since 1995 in its first championships of Europe seniors where it carries out good performances: 6th place on 100 m freestyle, 7th on 200 m freestyle, final with the 3 Dutch relays. Its performances enable him to gain its ticket of participation for the Olympic Games of Atlanta which are held in 1996.

Hope with the Olympic dream

With the the United States, 18 years the Batavian swimmer disputes 5 finales in freestyle and with the relays. Twice, on 100 m and 200 m freestyle, it fails the foot of the podium to a tenth of the third in the two races. Over 50 m freestyle, it gains the finale B and takes the 9th final place while it takes part in the 5th place of the Dutch relay 4x100 m freestyle and the 7th place with the relay 4x200 m freestyle. This duel between the two swimmers is besides only the first of confrontations between the two best swimmers of the years 2000. Thus, as of the following day, the two swimmers on the occasion to clash remotely at the time of the test of the relay 4x200 m freestyle. The Dutch relay and VDH as a last relay runner gain the bronze medal while the Australian relay and Thorpe triumph. The Netherlander thus preserves his Olympic title thanks to a time three tenth superior at his world records which had enabled him to take down its first Olympic sacring in 2000.

The Netherlander sets out again of Athens with three medals, two out of money and a second consecutive Olympic title on 100 m freestyle.

On the way towards Beijing

Between wounds and disappointments

Victim of a Slipped disc, the swimmer declares fixed price for the championships of the world of Montreal. After a long convalescence due to the operation which it underwent to look after its hernia, the Netherlander carries out his return to the competition in 2006 at the time of the championships of Europe of Budapest. The Netherlander first of all gains there the test of the 200 m freestyle with an unquestionable margin over these front competitors to know disappointment on 100 Mr. It obtains indeed only the bronze medal behind the Italian world champion Filippo Magnini and the Swede Stefan Nystrand in a time slightly lower than 49 seconds. However, after almost a year far away from the international basins, the return of Pieter van den Hoogenband is rather encouraging.

With the end of the year, van den Hoogenband is not aligned at the time of Euro in small basin of Helsinki as well as possible to prepare the championships of the world 2007 organized in Australia. Besides it approaches with ambition this competition and hopes to gain the only title which misses with its prize list.

Progress of competition to the approach of the OJ.

At the time of the World ones of Melbourne, the Netherlander appears very far from his legitimate ambitions. He is thus relegated to more than two seconds of the American Michael Phelps on 200 m freestyle, test during which the US wonder beats the world records of Ian Thorpe and puts nearly one second and half at the personal record of the Batavian (1 ' 43" 86 against 1 ' 45" 35). Money medal-holder on 200 m, it misses the finale by the 100 m by taking only the sixth place.

Not only van den Hoogenband assisted with the triumph of Phelps on the test 200 m freestyle at the time of these world, but the Netherlander also looks at competition progressing to great steps in 2007 on his second test of predilection, the 100 m freestyle. Thus, at a little more than one year of the Olympic Games of 2008 which will be organized in Beijing, Pieter van den Hoogenband sees its adversaries Indeed threatening suddenly its best stopwatch on 100 Mr., the French Alain Bernard in June (48" 12) and the Swede Stefan Nystrand in August (47" 91) carries out the better third and second performance of the history threatening the world records of VdH (47" 84).

A figure of world swimming

Competitions

At the time of the Olympic Games of 2000 in Sydney, the victory of Pieter van den Hoogenband in front of the " tsar" Russian Alexander Popov was often presented like a passage of witnesses. Indeed, VdH deprived Popov of a third consecutive Olympic title on the discipline queen of swimming and, more still, relegated the old world records of the Popov world to nearly four tenth (47" 84 against 48" 21).

The media and specialists in swimming often proposed the competition between van den Hoogenband and Ian Thorpe. Revealed at the end of the years 2000, the two swimmers indeed clashed with many recoveries. The finale of the 200 m freestyle at the time of the Olympic Games of Sydney remained like one of the great moments of the history of swimming to the Plays. In addition, swimming being one of the national sports in Australia, the duel between the local wonder and the swimmer Dutch nourished a passion without precedent for this sport.

Engagement

True head of poster of world swimming with Ian Thorpe or Michael Phelps, it also engages when the image of its sport is called into question. Thus, when the CIO announces the displacement of the finales of the tests of swimming in morning at the time of the Olympic Games of 2008 in Beijing to satisfy the American diffuser NBC, the Netherlander writes a letter with the president of the Olympic organization, Jacques Rogge. He highly denounces there the privileges granted to the American media and the setting in front of the financial interests at the expense of the Olympic spirit by the CIO. The swimmer declared then: " It is one black day for the sport. If I did not like swimming deeply, I would take my retirement at once. I hear by-Ci and by-there this decision is well for our sport, but it is necessary to be honest, it is foutaise" .

Private life

Married with the former swimmer, bronze medal in 1996 in Atlanta, he is father of small a Daphne since June 2007.

Prize list

Olympic Games

Championships of the world

Championships of Europe

Large basin

Pieter van den Hoogenband gained 16 European medals in large basin. It obtained with ten recoveries the continental title including 8 into individual. The 200 m freestyle is its distance from predilection since he is quadruple champion of Europe.

Here the detail of its European prize list in large basin:

10 gold medals including 2 out of relay.
4 money medals.
2 bronze medals including 1 out of relay.

Small basin

Pieter van den Hoogenband gained 14 European medals in small basin. It obtained with seven recoveries the continental title including 6 into individual. The 200 m freestyle is its distance from predilection since it is unconquered with three titles.

Here the detail of its European prize list in small basin:

7 gold medals including 1 out of relay.
4 medals of money including 1 out of relay.
3 bronze medals including 1 out of relay.

Records

''' 1 ''' world records on 100 m freestyle in large basin:

47" 84 since September 19th, 2000 with Sydney.

''' 2 ''' world records on 200 m freestyle in large basin:

1 ' 45" 35 September 17th and 18th 2000 with Sydney ( beaten by Ian Thorpe on March 27th, 2001).

Notes and references of the article

Random links: