Dutch Olympic Team Hopefuls

 The 2012 Olympic Games will kick off in London this evening. Athletes from around the world will be competing for medals in 302 events, spread across 26 different sports. The Dutch team has some definite medal hopefuls in a number of the prestige events including swimming, cycling, hockey and equestrian.

The athlete closest to being a dead cert for a gold medal is equestrian Anky van Grunsven who finished first at the last three Olympic Games. Marianne Vos who won gold in track cycling in Beijing four years ago is this time going for victory on the road in the Women’s Individual Time Trial and Women’s Road race. The swimming pool could also deliver some medals for the Dutch, with hopes pinned on Ranomi Kromowidjojo and a very strong women’s relay team.
But there are also Dutch athletes taking part in less high-profile sports who could deliver results. Here are five less well-known Olympic contenders from the Netherlands.
BMX bikers: battered but unbowed

Broken wrists and fingers, complicated surgery with metal pins in shoulder blades, concussion: a quick survey of the Dutch Olympic BMX team reads like a hospital report. Coach Bas de Bever has faith in the three men and one woman who’ll be competing in London but all the injuries mean he’s taking a cautious position. “Certainly the boys would normally be contenders, but we’ll have to wait and see”.

The most spectacular tumble from a BMX bike was taken by Jelle van Gorkom at a competition in the United States. The team thought it was the end of Jelle’s Olympic dream. But de Bever says that he made a miraculous recovery and he’s now fit for a fight.

The other two men in the BMX team, Raymon van der Biezen and Twan van Gendt have also suffered various injuries but are back in form. The fourth and least experienced biker is 18-year-old Laura Smulders. She’s hoping to finish in the final eight in London. “She’s developing really well,” says de Bever “but she’s a youngster. Don’t expect gold from her yet”.

Surfer dude for a new generation


When windsurfer Stephan van den Berg took gold at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, he inspired a whole new craze in the Netherlands. Previously a virtually unknown sport, wind-surfing’s tough guy image got Dutch beach bunnies off the beach and onto a board. This new-found popularity has so far failed to lead to any more medals, but that could soon change.

Dorian van Rijsselberghe shot to prominence when he won the World Windsurfing championships in Australia last year. His star status was confirmed when he was named as flag bearer for the Dutch team at the opening parade in London. It was the surfer’s attitude that persuaded the Netherlands Olympic Committee to award him this honour. According to Chef de Mission Maurits Hendriks, Dorian always radiates enjoyment, while at the same time turning in top performances. “The motto for London 2012 is ‘Inspire a Generation’ and that fits Dorian perfectly”.

If Van Rijsselberghe does indeed follow in Stefan van den Berg’s footsteps and win a gold medal, it will also be for the last time. Windsurfing will be replaced in future Olympic Games by kite surfing. But Van Rijsselberghe has already speculated on Twitter about mastering this new discipline before the 2016 Games. And it would be no surprise to his fans if he turns out to be equally talented at both wind and kite surfing.

Straight as an arrow

Archery may summon up images of the Middle Ages or playing cowboys and Indians, but the days of the handmade bow and arrow are well and truly over. Archery has been a professional sport and Olympic discipline for decades and this year the Netherlands has a serious contender in London. His name, Rick van der Ven.

The 21-year old engineering student is described by his coach Wietse van Alten as an introverted youngster. “He was still in the junior class last year. All sorts of stuff goes on around the actual events at the Olympics, but Rick doesn’t let himself get distracted by side shows. That will work to his advantage.”

Van der Ven himself downplays his chances. “I’m not going to say I’ll win a medal, but there’s always a chance”. The Olympic debutante is also modest about competing in London. ”In the end it’s a tournament like any other, against the same opponents”. We’ll find out soon enough if Rick van der Ven’s cool attitude will turn out to be dead on target.
Single-minded sailor powered by determination

Marit Bouwmeester was already sailing at the age of six. That’s not so unusual for children in the Dutch province of Friesland, but not many of them go on to develop world-class ability. Now 24, Bouwmeester has been tipped by the well-respected sports magazine Sports Illustrated as the gold medal favourite in the Women’s Laser Radial, a solo sailing event.

The young sailor’s determination to win was clear to see in a documentary about her made last year. She admits that she’s really too light for the Laser Radial class, but has compensated with an arduous training regime. “I spend most of my time in the gym” she says. And while she does sometimes regret her lack of partying and social life she says “I love sailing. I also like the travelling. I’ve made a very conscious choice for this life”.
She’s a firm believer in pushing herself to the limit and beyond. “Even when I’m tired and want to stop I keep going; that’s what makes you mentally strong. I don’t believe in resting too much. Our bodies can do more than we think”.

Marksman a heartbeat away from victory

Peter Hellebrand will be competing in three shooting events. But his strongest discipline is the 10m Air Rifle, an event where he has an average score of 597 out of a possible maximum of 600. To shoot at this level takes not just a steady hand and good eyesight but also a supreme ability to focus and concentrate.

Rob Leuvering, from the Dutch shooting organisation KNSA, says not many people have the control to fire accurately at a tiny target for one and three quarter hours. Hellebrand, though, has the ability to shut out the world and achieve the necessary balance between the tension and adrenaline of competition at this level and the stillness required for shooting.
A low heart rate also helps. “If you’re in a firing stance and your heart beats too quickly you’ll breathe faster” explains Leuvering. “These athletes are aware of every heartbeat. The very best of them – which include Peter – are able to fire in the crucial instant between heartbeats when they’re not vulnerable to even the tiny movement of a beating heart.”