“Among the elephants you learn to put things in perspective” – Column by Pieter van den Hoogenband

After a safari of almost three weeks in Africa, I returned to normal life. The traffic - driving on the right side of the road again – wasn’t the only thing I had to get used to when I got back.

I’ve been in a completely different world. No television, no newspapers, no cell phone… It was really strange to see that Feyenoord (= Dutch soccer team) changed half their team when I got home. I didn’t know any of the new players.

When I travelled in South Africa, Swaziland and Botswana I noticed they follow Dutch football closely over there. The young tour guide from Botswana turned out to be a huge fan of the Dutch national team. He was very enthousiastic about players like Van Nistelrooy, Davids, Seedorf and Kluivert. He was also very impressed by Arjen Robben, who he watches on TV every week in the Premier League.

It was quite bizar to be in the middle of nowhere and have a conversation with my tour guide about sports. I was there for the wildlife and nature, which I really enjoyed. My experiences in Africa left an unforgettable impression. In such a completely new environment, you also have a chance to self-reflect and put things in perspective.

I camped out and drove around in a jeep to observe wild animals in their natural habitat. It’s really impressive to see 150 elephants at a river bank drinking water. When you’re only a few feet away from those giants, you realize how tiny and vulnerable you are as a human being. Those elephants could easily deroot a tree with their trunks. Imagine what would happen if they had pushed over our jeep.

In such an environment, you need a reliable guide. He took us to the most beautiful places. We could see up close how two lions were eating their prey. I was astonished to watch these two impressive predators which looked like giant kittens.

The tents we were sleeping in had an open shower. The guide told us that not too long ago, a lion had chased a zebra into one of these showers. When he returned from a safari with a group of tourists, they found a trail of bood leading to the half eaten zebra. A story like that is impressive.

A story like that comes to mind when you hear a terrifying scream in the middle of the night from one of the other tourists. But nothing bad happened… A Swedish tourist had almost stepped on a scorpion. A colleague of our guide had stepped on one of those earlier and had to be taken to hospital immediately.

On the day before we left, there was a big electric storm. The border river between Botswana and South Africa burst its banks and we had to be transported with a cable cart across the water. When I got off, the cable installation broke down. A friend of mine and two other tourists were stuck 10 metres above the raging water while 10 men were repairing the installation. It took half an hour before they were rescued.

Only when I was safe and sound and flying back home, I realized that some adventures could have taken a wrong turn. Of course you shouldn’t dwell on that for too long, though. I’ve had a great vacation and am recharged to start the season.



Source: AD newspaper, January 27th, 2005


Also read other columns by Pieter van den Hoogenband:

- "Three beautiful blond women as a source of inspiration"

- “During the season, eating is work to me”

- ”On safari Crocodile Dundee was watching over me”

Van den Hoogenband’s role model Aleksandr Popov retires

Now Aleksandr Popov retires, we lose one of the best sprinters in the history of swimming. His legacy is impressive: in his 13-year reign, the "Czar” won 41 medals, including four golds and five silvers at the Olympics and six golds at World Championships. He intends to become the chairman of the Russian swimming association and pursue a career at the International Olympic Committee.

Popov, who started as a backstroker, emerged in 1991 with an European title at the 100m freestyle event. One year later, at the age of twenty, he won his first two gold medals at the Olympics. It was the beginning of an unrivalled series of victories at the 100m event. Up to 1999 he would stay undefeated at all major tournaments!

Pieter van den Hoogenband finally dethroned him at the EC in 1999 and again in 2000 at the Olympics. Popov held the world record (48.21 seconds) at the 100m freestyle since June 18th, 1994. It lasted for six years untill it was broken at the Olympics in Sydney first by the Australian Michael Klim (0.48.18) and later in the finals by Pieter van den Hoogenband (0.47.84). This record still stands today!



Original Dutch text by: Jos van Kuijeren for Zwemkroniek

First official swim meet for Van den Hoogenband in 2005

Van den Hoogenband resumed training on January 24th in Eindhoven. He will start his season at the Open Flemish Championships in Antwerp (Belgium) from March 11th through 13th and will be joined by a large selection of his club NZE.

This meet will be the first World Championship qualifying meet for most swimmers this season. However, for most NZE swimmers qualification is expected at the Dutch Open Swim Cup in Eindhoven (Easter weekend), the Swim Cup in Amsterdam (April 9th and 10th) or the National Championships in Amsterdam (April 21st through 24th). Van den Hoogenband will only enter the National Championships if he won't qualify for the WC in the earlier meets.


Source: www.pietervandenhoogenband.nl

“You can work on mentality”

On October 7th, 2004, Pieter van den Hoogenband held a keynote speech at the Faculty of Accountancy in Den Bosch, The Netherlands, about peak performances.

“The more pressure, the better I perform. I live for it.”

The Olympic Champion was invited to speak at a workshop on 'motivation and mentality’, organized by accountancy firm Ernst & Young, sponsor of Van den Hoogenband. The students absorbed every word listening to Van den Hoogenband while he told them about the legendary 100 metre free style race in Athens where he won the gold for the second consecutive time.

“I was behind, but I didn’t panic. I knew I would still win the race. When I finished I hit the board so hard, my fingers were still sore when I was holding a bottle of water long after the race.”

Only later he realized how many people watched his race. “It’s a great thing that so many people get so much fun out of watching your performance.”

Motivation is an essential factor in a performance at this level. Van den Hoogenband spends six days a week at the pool and he works out on dryland. “You set a goal for yourself. Each training is another step to a peak performance. Of course it’s hard sometimes, especially when your muscles ache. But when you focus on that one goal, the Olympic title, you just go for it.”

Mentality is also the drive for his success. “Some so-called top athletes are on cruise-control. They go through the motions of their training program and don’t focus on improving themselves. You have to be aware of your goals.”

That mentality doesn’t come out of the blue. It’s a process. According to Van den Hoogenband, this is something you can work on. “As a child, I had a lot of talent. It was easy for me. When I trained, I really went for it. But if I didn’t feel like it, I just skipped a training. I noticed that other swimmers who were less talented achieved almost the same results through hard work. That was the turning point for me. I figured I could get really far with my talent if I would just put in the extra hours. It’s essential to figure this out yourself. Only then you can improve your mentality.”

One of the students asked him if he gets nervous before a race like the 100m finals in Athens. “It’s a kind of addiction. I’m not nervous, but I enjoy it to the fullest. It’s the highest achievable in my sport.” He does admit being alert on things he can’t control, like a goggle filling up with water or a swim suit not being tight enough. As a 12-year old he once had an embarrassing experience when he hadn’t tightened the cord in his swim suit tight enough. “I had to pull up my trunks every two strokes.”


Also read other background articles related to Pieter van den Hoogenband:

- Finding new sponsors

- Tom Dolan analyses Van den Hoogenband

- “Winning the gold three consecutive times will be a mission impossible”

- A trainer can also peak

Competition for Van den Hoogenband

At the World Cup short track event in Berlin two world records were broken, but not by the German favorite Thomas Rupprath. The South Africans, who amazed the world at the last Olympics, were the top dogs and won the 4000 dollar bonuses.

Roland Schoeman equalled the world short track record of Ian Crocker at the 100 free style: 46.25. Pieter van den Hoogenband, who returned home from his vacation in South Africa on January 24th, knows now what he’s up against this season.

Schoeman almost denied Van den Hoogenband his second Olympic title at the 100m event in Athens. At the 25m track in Berlin he again started at warp speed, his trademark. The speedy South African took off at 0.16 seconds after the start signal. Schoeman turned at 21.91 – as a comparison, he won the 50m event on Sunday in 21.45 – and was 0.25 seconds below Crocker’s world record pace of March last year (East Meadow). Only in the final phase of the race, just like in August when he was ahead of Van den Hoogenband for most of the race, he lost his advantage. The Dutch short track record of VDH, who is not very strong at starts and turns, is 46.81.


Source: ANP

Auction of original VDH photograph for tsunami victims

Various Dutch photographers have put their best photographs up for auction to raise money for the victims of the tsunami in Asia.

Pim Ras shot this amazing photo at the 100m free style finals at the Olympics in Athens, 2004. The original can be yours!

The direct link to the auction of VDH’s photograph is: VDH AUCTION

The bidding ends on Jan 27th, 2005 at 23:59:59, so you have a few days left to bid! Please keep in mind that this is for charity and you should only place a bid if you intend to pay for it!


Source: www.fotokennisvoorazie.nl

Tom Dolan analyses Van den Hoogenband

It’s always interesting to hear what other great athletes think of their colleagues. Prior to the dream battle between Van den Hoogenband, Thorpe and Phelps at the 200m free style finals at the Olympics in Athens, Tom Dolan analysed the semi-finals and Van den Hoogenband in particular:

“Van den Hoogenband looks like he's swimming really well. I thought Thorpe looked good in his 200 semifinal, as did Phelps, but I thought van den Hoogenband looked really good. Of the three, he looked the best. He's a different type of swimmer. He has much more easy speed up front, meaning he's flat-out more of a sprinter than Thorpe and Phelps. The interesting part of the race is how he uses that to advantage. I would imagine he would go out much harder and just try to get out ahead of Thorpe and Phelps and hang on. Thorpe and Phelps are probably better closers than Van den Hoogenband, but he has way more speed up front.”

Unfortunately VDH lost the gold to Thorpe, but he still won the silver before Phelps. An exciting race!


Source quote: sportsillustrated.cnn.com


Also read other background articles related to Pieter van den Hoogenband:

- “You can work on mentality”

- Finding new sponsors

- “Winning the gold three consecutive times will be a mission impossible”

- A trainer can also peak

Finding new sponsors

This weekend ten swimmers of the newly founded Nationaal Zweminstituut Eindhoven (Pieter van den Hoogenband’s club) will enter the EuroMeet in Luxemburg. The new chairman of NZE, Theo Vinken, doesn’t even know how to swim. "I didn’t have any connection with swimming. But I do with top sport; it’s very clear cut. You invest your energy and you will reach your goal or you don’t."

Vinken replaced former chairman Cees-Rein van den Hoogenband. Jacco Verhaeren (Pieter’s trainer) was appointed as technical director and Aad van Groningen, ex-coach of Pieter van den Hoogenband, was appointed as managing director of the swimming institute.

Finding sponsors has been a very difficult mission. The Nationaal Zweminstituut Eindhoven (NZE) now has three main sponsors (the city of Eindhoven, NOCNSF and Rabobank), but they need to have six in total. Philips is out of the game. The name giver of the professional swimming team of NZE only renewed an individual contract with Pieter van den Hoogenband. This could cause complications, because Van den Hoogenband is also the face of NZE, which has other sponsors. "We thought for a long time Philips would continue sponsoring the team", says Vinken, "but they announced last month that they would not renew the contract."

There are other potential sponsors. "I’m confident that the negotiations in the next few months will result in three new principal sponsors", says Vinken. "But it’s a lot harder than I had expected. Swimming has not been marketed properly up to now. Once every four years there’s the Olympics, which creates a hype for a while. Then there’s a World Championship and a European Championship every two years, but that’s about it. There should be some kind of Champions League for swimming, so it would be more interesting for sponsors to invest."

Companies are usually somewhat reserved when we approach them. Vinken: "They often ask us: “What will happen after Pieter van den Hoogenband retires?” That’s why we’re so glad that Pieter will continue for another four years."

This is also vital for the European Championships of 2008, which the board of NZE is eager to host in Eindhoven. It would be a great international launch of the new swimming stadium, which will be ready in 2006. "However, we don’t want the EC to be held in June. A few months later the Olympics will kick off in Beijing, so the EC would be devalued as the best swimmers will not enter to save their energy. We would prefer to have the EC held in January or February, so it can also serve as a qualifying meet for the Olympics."

Should the European swimming association LEN insist on May or June, then NZE will decline. "We will then focus on hosting the EC in 2010. But we rather host it in 2008, mainly because Pieter will still be active. That would make it easier to interest sponsors for the EC."

Another task for the new board of NZE is to improve relations with the KNZB (National Swimming Association). The last few years the professional organization in Eindhoven and the national swimming association – which mainly represents amateur athletes and thus has other interests – have not been on the same page. Vinken reckons this has been approved.

"It was necessary. But the fact remains that decisions have to be made. Will we continue with two Olympic pilars in Amsterdam and Eindhoven? Or will we work towards one organization now that TZA in Amsterdam has dissolved?"

In that case, Eindhoven would be of course the most suitable location, certainly when the new swimming stadium is finished. NZE would also like to add new top swimmers to their team. World Champion Marleen Veldhuis, who is still loyal to former TZA coach Fedor Hes, would be very welcome in Eindhoven. "I understand and appreciate Marleen’s loyalty to her trainer", says Vinken, "but eventually she might have to make a different choice for her career. Not only do we have a top swimmer with Pieter van den Hoogenband, but also a top coach: Jacco Verhaeren. Top athletes improve when they train with other top athletes."


Source: Eindhovens Dagblad / Zwemkroniek


Also read other background articles related to Pieter van den Hoogenband:

- “You can work on mentality”

- Tom Dolan analyses Van den Hoogenband

- “Winning the gold three consecutive times will be a mission impossible”

- A trainer can also peak

“Winning the gold three consecutive times will be a mission impossible”

Ronald Gaastra, ex-trainer of Belgian gold medalist Frederik Deburghgraeve (Atlanta) and ex-mentor of Jacco Verhaeren, is not so sure Pieter van den Hoogenband will win the gold for the third time at the next Olympics. The champion wants to defend his 100m free style title at the Olympics in Beijing in 2008 before he ends his swimming career. “It will be a tough thing to do, no-one has ever done it before.''

Gaastra thinks chances are decreasing every day that Van den Hoogenband will break his own world record (47.84 seconds). “He should be able to reach 47.50, strictly from a physical point of view. But that’s not the only determining factor. Pieter has been at the top of his game for the past five years. Look at Aleksandr Popov, he is a swim legend too. In 1992 and 1996 he was the top dog, but in 2000 he was struggling to keep up. Pieter may succeed if he won’t suffer any injuries.''



Source: www.sportwereld.be


Also read other background articles related to Pieter van den Hoogenband:

- “You can work on mentality”

- Tom Dolan analyses Van den Hoogenband

- Finding new sponsors

- A trainer can also peak

Van den Hoogenband’s coach responds to FINA Press Release

Jacco Verhaeren, coach of Olympic Champion Pieter van den Hoogenband, was not taken by surprise when FINA announced that the World Championships 2005 would not be held in Montreal.

"I knew Montreal was struggling to meet the budget requirements. They were lacking amounts that were not easy to raise overnight. But it’s unbelievable that this has happened. When you bid to host an event, they need you to give financial guarantees. But if FINA is so decisive about it, I can imagine it’s a pretty severe situation."

Verhaeren hopes FINA will succeed in finding a suitable new location. He doesn’t really have a preference. "As long as the pool meets the standards and things can be organized well. It won’t be easy when you consider the hotel capacity that is needed. But I hope things will be clear soon, because we have to know where to go for our training camp. We hadn’t made any firm commitments for Montreal yet. So for the first time it’s a blessing we're always late in organizing these things."

Verhaeren doesn’t consider the possibility the event will be cancelled altogether. "That would be an outrage and I can’t really believe that would happen. A few thousand people have completely focussed their preparation on this event. We will also continue with our training as planned. And if the whole event is called off, we will just have to deal with that. At least we will be well prepared for next season."



Source: Zwemkroniek


Also read other news related to Pieter van den Hoogenband:

- FINA Press Release - Montreal loses World Championships

- First Olympic swimming stadium ("Pieter-Pool") in Eindhoven

- Van den Hoogenband’s coach Jacco Verhaeren new advisor to TZA

- Dutch Open Swim Cup 2005

- Van den Hoogenband and team mates at training camp in February

- Van den Hoogenband’s coach pleabargains for independent swimming teams

- FINA Press Release - World Championships 2005

FINA Press Release - Montreal loses World Championships

Lausanne (SUI), January 19, 2005 – The FINA Bureau held today an extraordinary meeting in Frankfurt (GER) and considered all the aspects in relation to the organisation of the 11th FINA World Championships in Montreal, Québec, Canada.

Based on the great success of participation, TV audience, media exposure and spectators attendance with the occasion of the 10th FINA World Championships Barcelona 2003 and the FINA competitions at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, the FINA Bureau underlined the importance to reinforce the credibility of the World Championships, the biggest world Aquatic event, and the worldwide value of the FINA brand.

FINA has been in contact with the Organising Committee and all stakeholders involved in the organisation of the Championships and has done its utmost to organise the 11th FINA World Championships in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

As FINA did not receive, as requested, by 18th January 2005, the confirmation that the Championships would be organised by OC Montreal 2005 in accordance with the commitments and signed agreements in July 2001 and with reference to a notice given already on 11th August 2004, followed by various requests for confirmation of the contractual obligations, the Bureau decided unanimously to terminate the agreement and cancel the organisation of the 11th FINA World Championships in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Furthermore, the FINA Bureau decided to open a short Bid procedure to allow the National Federations to express their interest in organising the 11th FINA World Championships from 17th – 31st July 2005.

FINA will announce no later than 15th February 2005 the National Federation / City organising these Championships.

The FINA Bureau regrets having had to make this decision but this was necessary to secure the holding of the Championships 2005.

[UPDATE]

The Greek swimming federation has already said it is ready to step in and stage the event.
"Fina has proposed to us that we host the swimming championships and we referred the request to the government," said spokesman Fotas Chitos. "We are prepared to host the event if it is not held in Montreal."

Source: FINA / BBC Sport


Also read other news related to Pieter van den Hoogenband:

- Van den Hoogenband’s coach responds to FINA Press Release

- First Olympic swimming stadium ("Pieter-Pool") in Eindhoven

- Van den Hoogenband’s coach Jacco Verhaeren new advisor to TZA

- Dutch Open Swim Cup 2005

- Van den Hoogenband and team mates at training camp in February

- Van den Hoogenband’s coach pleabargains for independent swimming teams

- FINA Press Release - World Championships 2005

First Olympic swimming stadium ("Pieter-Pool") in Eindhoven

The municipal, province and state government will invest approximately 25 million Euro in the first national Olympic swimming center of The Netherlands, adjacent to the existing swimming pool "De Tongelreep" in Eindhoven (training home of Pieter van den Hoogenband).

After 4 years of preparation, construction started in September 2004. In December 2005 the pool will be open for training and in the summer of 2006 the whole center will be finished.

The facility was designed by Johan Koenis and will meet the FINA requirements for international events: 10 lanes, depth of 3 metres, warming up / training pool of 4 lanes, 25 metre pool with diving towers and water polo facilities.

Eindhoven will be able to compete with cities such as Barcelona, Berlin and Athens to host international watersport events like the European Championships for swimming and waterpolo and World Cup meets. The swimming arena could seat three thousand spectators and can be expanded with another 500 seats.










Source: Volkskrant (January 5th, 2005) and www.zwemcentrum.nl


Also read other news related to Pieter van den Hoogenband:

- Van den Hoogenband’s coach responds to FINA Press Release

- FINA Press Release - Montreal loses World Championships

- Van den Hoogenband’s coach Jacco Verhaeren new advisor to TZA

- Dutch Open Swim Cup 2005

- Van den Hoogenband and team mates at training camp in February

- Van den Hoogenband’s coach pleabargains for independent swimming teams

- FINA Press Release - World Championships 2005

Van den Hoogenband’s coach Jacco Verhaeren new advisor to TZA

With a focus on young talents, Top Zwemmen Amsterdam (TZA) has made a brandnew start on January 1st, 2005. After the team’s coach Fedor Hes left, so did their top swimmers. TZA intends to work towards success at the Olympics of 2008 and 2012 with the same organizational structure as the Nationaal Zweminstituut Eindhoven of Jacco Verhaeren.

“At the Olympics in Athens we talked to the pro team from Eindhoven about the lack of young talents at the top end'', chairman Cees Vervoorn explained. “We want to break through that cycle together. Through an organizational structure closer to the swimming club, we intend to offer young talents proper facilities, so we can strive for Olympic success.”

Vervoorn considers the professional swimming teams a great step forward, but the gap between the teams and the clubs has become too big. The pro teams from Amsterdam and Eindhoven will work together to change this. Swimming club De Dolfijn will play an important role within the pro team from Amsterdam, just like swimming club PSV already does within Verhaeren’s professional Philips team.

Van den Hoogenband

In order to strengthen the colaboration between the two pro teams, TZA involved Pieter van den Hoogenband’s coach. Verhaeren will, among other things, review TZA's technical program and give advice on any improvements. There will also be mutual internships.

With the new structure, TZA hopes to prevent another desillusion like in Athens. Marleen Veldhuis won a bronze medal at the relay, but no-one in the TZA team qualified for any individual finals. On top of that, the team received negative publicity after Hes criticized Verhaeren’s role in the national team.



Source: ANP, December 23rd, 2004



Also read other news related to Pieter van den Hoogenband:

- Van den Hoogenband’s coach responds to FINA Press Release

- FINA Press Release - Montreal loses World Championships

- First Olympic swimming stadium ("Pieter-Pool") in Eindhoven

- Dutch Open Swim Cup 2005

- Van den Hoogenband and team mates at training camp in February

- Van den Hoogenband’s coach pleabargains for independent swimming teams

- FINA Press Release - World Championships 2005

Animation of venues for the 2008 Olympic Games: the National Swimming Center

Okay, we’re not quite there yet. But Pieter van den Hoogenband already has his mind set on his third consecutive Olympic title at the 100m free style at the next Olympics in Beijing in 2008.

There’s not even a swimming venue yet, but the Chinese intend to amaze the world with their National Swimming Center. This center will be a large venue of the 29th Olympic Games. During the 2008 Olympic Games, the competitions of swimming, diving, synchronized swimming and the finals of water polo will be held here. After the Olympic Games, the venue will become a large-scale, multi-functional aquatic sports and entertainment center that is up to international standards.

You can watch an animation clip of the venue in .wmv format

Or in .rm format


Source: active.beijing-2008.org


Also see other sections with great links to photos, videos and audios from Pieter van den Hoogenband:

- Learn from the best!

- Photo Album added to this site

Pieter van den Hoogenband is not satisfied yet (interview December 2004)

While everyone in Athens was anticipating the medal rush of Michael Phelps, Pieter van den Hoogenband defended his Olympic title at the 100m free style with success. “It is the main swimming event”, he states. “At the 200m event I was defeated by Ian Thorpe, but I beat the American guy.” As if that wasn’t enough, the Dutchman also won the silver medal at the 100m free style relay. More than enough reason for the Dutch to elect him “Male athlete of the year”. The Dutch threefold Olympic champion was the guest of honor at the gala hosted by the Belgian sports press.

Q: What have you been up to these past few months, Pieter?
"Not much at the swimming pool, but I’ve been doing quite a few other things. First and foremost I’ve been savouring my success.''

Q: Savouring… How do you do that?
"I’m reminded daily of my medals, just by the thrill of it. At the Olympics in Sydney I won two gold medals and two bronze medals. I can’t say that it came out of the blue for me then, but this time I had worked towards this moment for four years. I thought to myself: “So you’re an Olympic champion. Now what?” I still have to outline the road ahead. If that road will lead to another Olympic title and two more silver medals, then that’s amazing. I’m more in control of what happens next than four years ago. I took a lot more time to celebrate this success with the people closest to me.”

Q: Your second Olympic title seemed a lot harder to win than your first one. You still intend to win a third gold medal at the 100m free style in 2008.
"That’s the nature of the beast, I’m afraid. I never look for the easy way out. Of course I could leave it at this. But I know I can still do it, eventhough I’m getting older. Swimming is not a contact sport. If you get injuries, it’s because of too much strain. I don’t have that problem. Winning the gold at the 100m free style three consecutive times has never been done by anyone. I think it’s a huge challenge to try and do that. I just want to end my sports career right there and then. Give it my all one more time and then move on to something else.''

Q: Like what?
"I have no clue right now. We’ll see."

Q: Did it bother you that you lost the 200m free style event, which was announced as “The Race of the Century”? Ian Thorpe won the race before you and Michael Phelps.
"I was glad I beat the American guy. I think it was all hyped a bit too much. People who follow the sport, know that the 100m event is historically the main event. Because the Americans didn’t have a proper candidate for the event, they suddenly shifted their attention to the 200m event. I don’t get that. It’s just that the Americans had Phelps and the Australians had Thorpe. And these two would clash at the 200m event. I was right up there with them. Prior to the race I thought I would be able to win it. That’s why I started below the world record. I wanted to show them who they were up against. I lost the race in the final end of the race, but I think I can do better in the future."

Q: Wasn’t the 200m event a ‘battle of the giants’ more than anything else?
"I guess, but the 100m finalists were quite impressive too. Ian Thorpe was there, Roland Mark Schoeman is a force to be reckoned with and Filippo Magnini beat me at the European Championships. It was the fastest field ever. When you win that race, it’s quite an accomplishment. At the 200m event there were Phelps, Thorpe and Hackett. That’s what made that race so exciting. I also had made a name for myself when beating Thorpe at the 200m event in Sydney. I noticed that especially the Americans wanted to make that race more special. A lot of people who don’t know anything about swimming were meddling in. That changed the perspective, but it was still a great race. It was blood-curdling. I had set the pace, but Thorpe beat me in the nick of time. Phelps came in third."

Q: It seems like you don’t like Phelps very much.
"Let’s face it, he was the star of the tournament. What he did was impressive, but I’m one of the few who was faster than him."

Q: In preparation of the Olympics, you didn’t perform as well as before at the European Championships. Did you ever doubt yourself?
"At the European Championships I was mentally so strong that, no matter the results, I knew I was going to win the Olympic title. I was training so hard for Athens, that I lost the 100m at the European Championships.”

Q: To peak for that one minute every four years. That must be a lot of stress. How do you handle that?
"I live for that. I was at the Olympics in 1996. I came in fourth twice. At the 100m and 200m, 0.11 seconds behind third place. That’s when I knew: “This is it!” The Olympic finals. I love it! Stress? I enjoy it to the fullest. I think that’s what I’d miss most when I end my career."

Q: Fourth place twice. Is that discouraging or not?
"Because of Atlanta I’m the athlete I am today. I learned so much from that. I came out of the blue and came in fourth at the 100m finals at 49.13 seconds, that’s quite impressive. Only insiders knew it was a unique performance. When all medalists were invited by the Queen, I was sitting at home. That’s when I thought: “Never again. I will do anything to win a medal next time.”

Q: Now you’re facing another four years of training and hard work for that next race, which will be over in less than a minute.
"I love it! The ultimate goal is 47 seconds. Before the Olympics I was making that limit at the training. I was so sure I would break my own world record, but it didn’t happen in the end. But I know I can do it. Proving to yourself and the rest of the world that you can go even faster, that's what's so great about sports. No-one is going to take away those Olympic titles, but I am the world record holder. The fastest man on the planet… There are a lot of guys who want to break that record. It would be great if I could that myself."

Q: Do you focus a lot on those records?
"You know, I’m the first and only man who ever swam faster than 48 seconds at the 100m event. They’ll never take that away from me. That’s what makes that record so special. I think it will be a little while longer before we can move on to the next step, to beat the 47 second mark. I’ve held the record for almost four and a half years and no-one has beaten the 48 second mark. We’ll see.”

Q: Ian Thorpe is considering a sabbatical year. How about you?
"I don’t. I’ve taken a long break after the Olympics, that’s enough. Perhaps he feels like he needs it, but I can’t wait for the season to start."

Q: Thorpe is making three million Euro per year. Do you feel you’re rewarded enough?
"It's very rewarding for me. But that’s not why I started swimming. Once you get hooked on the sport, you don’t think about what money you can make doing it. I can't complain about my situation, I've done OK for myself. When I end my swimming career, I can do whatever I like."

Q: Has Thorpe become a close friend by now?
"We get along great, but at the swimming pool I want to beat everyone. Outside of the swimming pool we have a lot in common. We often have a lot of fun, but we don’t see or talk to each other every week."

Source: http://www.sportwereld.be/ (December 31st, 2004)


Also read other interviews with Pieter van den Hoogenband:

- King of the swimming pool once again

- Van den Hoogenband is still savouring his victory

King of the swimming pool once again

ATHENS 2004 – For a short moment you could hear a pin drop at the Olympic swimming pool of Athens. Then a primal scream came from Pieter van den Hoogenband, who had just beaten Roland Mark Schoeman by a split second at the blood-curdling 100 metre free style finals.

After the American Duke P. Kahanamoku (1912 and 1920), Johnny 'Tarzan' Weismuller (1924 and 1928) and 'Czar' Alexander Popov (1992 and 1996), Van den Hoogenband is only the fourth swimmer in the history of the Olympics who defended his title at the 100 metre free style event with success.

Van den Hoogenband wrote history in one of the most thrilling Olympic swimming finals ever. He was behind for most of the race, but he finished 0.06 seconds ahead of Roland Mark Schoeman, in 48.17 seconds. Twelve centimetres ahead at 100 metres. Ian Thorpe surprisingly collected the bronze medal in this event.

Van den Hoogenband’s release was enormous. With clinched fists he celebrated his victory. It was now or never and that was something the defending Olympic Champion had realized before the race like no-one else. Some swimming legends hadn’t qualified for the finals, so all eyes were on him. After his great success at the Olympics of Sydney he had never won a world title again at a major meet. But just in time he rose to the occasion. ''This is the real thing,'' he cheered. And: ''I’m absolutely nuts. I live for these kinds of thrills. It can’t get crazy enough for me.''

Van den Hoogenband relives the final minutes before the race. ''I walked to the waiting area and I got goose bumps all over. This is what I’ve been training for. For that feeling, that tension. I was sitting on a chair. It was a beautiful evening. A great opportunity to give it my all. I saw the Dutch fans in the bleachers; it was as if I were at the regional championships back home. And then suddenly I saw my trainer Jacco Verhaeren’s face on the big screen. It was noisy and I had to stay calm. I dove in, swam the first fifty metres holding back and then I just went for the kill. All systems go with every fibre of my body and being. I finished and thought: “Please!” The camera zoomed in on me and only then I knew I had made it. Super.''

He laughs and says jokingly: "Actually it was a piece of cake.''

After the race, coach Jacco Verhaeren smoked a cigarette under the bleachers. To him the victory of his pupil and friend was also a huge relief. Van den Hoogenband still had it. Verhaeren told everyone who would listen these past few years, but by now they had to cash down.

''Pieter's release really got to me,'' he said. ''I had never seen him react like that before. He wanted to prove so badly he could still win the gold.''

The man to beat in the finals was, as expected, Roland Mark Schoeman. The South African took off at an amazing speed and was well ahead of Van den Hoogenband halfway (22.60 by 23.27 seconds). A lot more than expected. Van den Hoogenband stayed calm and swam his own race, never outplaying his hand. The race was won in the final fifteen metres and Van den Hoogenband got the ultimate reward for his strategy. ''It was a fantastic race, by the book,'' concluded Verhaeren.


Source: Het Parool (August 19th, 2004)


Also read other interviews with Pieter van den Hoogenband:

- Pieter van den Hoogenband is not satisfied yet

- Van den Hoogenband is still savouring his victory

FINA Press Release - World Championships 2005

The FINA Executive met on January 11th in Montreal (Canada) with the Organising Committee of the XI FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 2005.

FINA expressed its strong interest in maintaining the Championships in Montreal, but also its concern with the continuing commitment of the governments of Canada and Québec and the city of Montreal to the event.

“We awarded the Championships to Montreal on the basis of a clear understanding of commitments by the governments of Québec and Canada and an agreed total expenditure budget necessary to deliver an event of such importance. The budget allocations between public and private sources is a matter for Canada, Québec and Montreal, not FINA,” said FINA President Mustapha Larfaoui.

FINA has attempted to arrange meetings with the responsible ministers, without success.
FINA said that it is willing to discuss any and all matters relating to the Championships, but needs, not later than January 18, 2005, assurance that the approved expenditure budget will be respected. Following its decision as to whether to maintain the Championships in Montreal, FINA is willing to meet with ministers and the city of Montreal to discuss all outstanding matters relating to the Championships.

Mr. Larfaoui stated: “We are sure that solutions can be found to resolve all remaining challenges, so that the Championships will be a success for all concerned. We are greatly encouraged by the news that support from the private sector, especially the important commitment of $4 million from le Conseil du Patronat, will be provided. This is a good step forward.”


Also read other news related to Pieter van den Hoogenband:

- Van den Hoogenband’s coach responds to FINA Press Release

- FINA Press Release - Montreal loses World Championships

- First Olympic swimming stadium ("Pieter-Pool") in Eindhoven

- Dutch Open Swim Cup 2005

- Van den Hoogenband and team mates at training camp in February

- Van den Hoogenband’s coach pleabargains for independent swimming teams

- Van den Hoogenband’s coach Jacco Verhaeren new advisor to TZA

Van den Hoogenband’s coach pleabargains for independent swimming teams

"The Royal Dutch Swimming Association (KNZB) should not focus on top sports in the future, but has to focus solely on talent scouting. The Association should leave the development and coaching of young talents to professional swimming teams", says Van den Hoogenband's life long coach Jacco Verhaeren.

Jacco Verhaeren thinks a lot of Dutch talents are missed. "A swim nation like the Netherlands should not depend on just two swimmers, Pieter van den Hoogenband and Inge de Bruijn, to win medals. Potentially The Netherlands could have swimmers in the finals of each Olympic event and win twenty medals. After Australia, swimming is the most popular sport in The Netherlands. Talent scouting leaves much to be desired, however." Verhaeren believes this is a task set out for the Swimming Association. "If investments are made now, it means a lot of potential for the Olympics of 2012 and 2016", he concludes.


Source: De Telegraaf


Also read other news related to Pieter van den Hoogenband:

- Van den Hoogenband’s coach responds to FINA Press Release

- FINA Press Release - Montreal loses World Championships

- First Olympic swimming stadium ("Pieter-Pool") in Eindhoven

- Dutch Open Swim Cup 2005

- Van den Hoogenband and team mates at training camp in February

- FINA Press Release - World Championships 2005

- Van den Hoogenband’s coach Jacco Verhaeren new advisor to TZA

Van den Hoogenband and team mates at training camp in February

Pieter van den Hoogenband and his team mates of Nationaal Zweminstituut Eindhoven will be at training camp as from February 6th, 2005. The Olympic champion will go to Epinal in France for two weeks to prepare for the qualifying meets for the World Championship in July.

Van den Hoogenband, who is enjoying a well-deserved vacation in South Africa at the moment, will compete for the first time since the Olympics at the Flemish championships on March 12th and 13th in Antwerp, Belgium.

After that he will enter the Dutch Open Swim Cup in Eindhoven (March 25th through 27th) and the Amsterdam Swim Cup (April 9th through 10th). Van den Hoogenband will only compete in the Dutch Championship (from April 21st in Amsterdam) if he hasn’t qualified for the World Championship at the earlier meets.


Source: De Telegraaf


Also read other news related to Pieter van den Hoogenband:

- Van den Hoogenband’s coach responds to FINA Press Release

- FINA Press Release - Montreal loses World Championships

- First Olympic swimming stadium ("Pieter-Pool") in Eindhoven

- Dutch Open Swim Cup 2005

- FINA Press Release - World Championships 2005

- Van den Hoogenband’s coach pleabargains for independent swimming teams

- Van den Hoogenband’s coach Jacco Verhaeren new advisor to TZA

“During the season, eating is work to me” – By Pieter van den Hoogenband (column for AD)

This month a Japanese swimmer came to visit us. He holds the Asian record at the 100 metre free style and wants to be the first Asian swimmer to beat the 50 second mark. So far his times are always a fraction of a second above that limit. So what do you do? You go and see the Olympic champion.

This Japanese guy wanted to train for a year with me in The Netherlands. But of course that’s just not possible. He was more than pleased with just one week. When my coach Jacco Verhaeren gave his trainer the green light, they immediately flew in from Tokyo. They arrived at Schiphol airport with presents and tears in their eyes, they were so happy to be here.

The Japanese wanted to learn everything from us and the coach scribbled down every little detail. I noticed the swimmer was carrying around a Japanese-Dutch dictionary everywhere he went. When he was introduced to the junior members of our swimming club, he held a small speech in Dutch.

When we were having a beer at the bar after the meeting, his coach kept his eyes on Jacco’s hands the whole time. I wasn’t sure what that was all about. Until I saw he had an ash tray in his hand and jumped forward when Jacco wanted to tip off his cigarette. Of course Jacco thought that was too much of a good thing, so he took the ash tray away from him.

The Japanese trainer came in early every morning to lay out the lanes. Things like this are typical for the Japanese attitude. Discipline and self-sacrifice will get you a long way.

The swimmer really looked up to me as an Olympic champion. Every now and then he dared to ask me a question. And with his cell phone, a futuristic little thing which won’t be available in The Netherlands for a long time yet, he took a picture of the both of us. So that he could show everyone at home that he had met me.

We had dinner at a Japanese restaurant. They really had to laugh at what we call Japanese food. They enjoyed it, but they never eat diner at such a big round hot plate back home. That thing was once invented by Japanese immigrants in America.

To me eating is ‘work’ for most of the year. It’s part of my training. As a professional athlete I have to get the proper nutrition. When I don’t like the taste of it, I just gobble it down.

So I really enjoy it when I can have a nice meal, like recently. A friend of my girlfriend invited us for dinner at the Beluga restaurant in Maastricht. I travel all over the world, but I never had such a great dinner as in this restaurant.

Chef Hans van Wolde is originally from Rotterdam and came to Maastricht about 12 years ago to start his own restaurant. Not without success, because on the ranking list of best Dutch restaurants, his place came in second. If it were up to me, he’d be number one.

I can really enjoy a large serving of French fries and two frikandels (= Dutch snack), but the unique meal Van Wolde prepared for us was an absolute highlight. The ultimate meal for the connoisseur. Everything was perfect. It was also great to see on a screen how the food was prepared in the marvellous, clean kitchen.

Too bad our Japanese friends went home already, otherwise I would have been able to show them that The Netherlands also has culinary ‘champions’.


Also read other columns by Pieter:

- "Three beautiful blond women as a source of inspiration"


Source: www.pietervandenhoogenband.nl

Dutch Open Swim Cup 2005

From Friday 25 March through Sunday 27 March 2005 the Dutch Open Swim Cup will be held for the second time at Zwembad de Tongelreep, Antoon Coolenlaan 1 in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. This is also the facility where Pieter van den Hoogenband trains.

This event will be organized by the Stichting Top Zwemmen Zuid-Nederland, PSV Zwemmen and the City of Eindhoven.

Besides the Dutch top swimmers (including Pieter van den Hoogenband), the organization will put together an appealing international field. They intend to have a rematch of the Olympic finals of Athens 2004, like the 100 metre free style.


Source: www.topzwemmen.info


Also read other news related to Pieter van den Hoogenband:

- Van den Hoogenband’s coach responds to FINA Press Release

- FINA Press Release - Montreal loses World Championships

- First Olympic swimming stadium ("Pieter-Pool") in Eindhoven

- FINA Press Release - World Championships 2005

- Van den Hoogenband’s coach pleabargains for independent swimming teams

- Van den Hoogenband and team mates at training camp in February

- Van den Hoogenband’s coach Jacco Verhaeren new advisor to TZA

A trainer can also peak

Jacco Verhaeren - trainer of Olympic Champions Pieter van den Hoogenband and Inge de Bruijn – only knows one place where he’s in his element: at the swimming pool. Alongside it, however, because he claims his own swimming performance was never worth mentioning. By now it’s really obvious that he is indeed in his element there. Van den Hoogenband and De Bruijn together won five gold medals in Sydney and 2 gold medals in Athens, plus silver and bronze Olympic medals, world titles and European titles. Verhaeren’s passion for his trade has only become greater after that. The fact that athletes can be coached to peak at exactly the right moment is something that continues to fascinate him.

”I’ve always been interested in that when watching other sports, for instance athletics. I always wondered how someone like Carl Lewis always wins at exactly the right moment. That intrigued me. Especially because, with only a few exceptions, Dutch athletes fail at such crucial moments.”

In 1993 Verhaeren was recruited by Cees Rein van den Hoogenband (father of Pieter van den Hoogenband) at swimming club PSV in Eindhoven as a revolutionary swimming coach with an unorthodox vision. “The Dutch swimmers weren’t performing well. The Olympics of Barcelona and the World Championship in Rome had been a disappointment. Everyone was trying to keep up with the other countries. Some trainers felt they had to push their swimmers even harder and have them swim more kilometres in training sessions. It’s a superseded concept from the seventies and eighties. I valued quality over quantity; perfecting swimming techniques. For distances that are most popular in The Netherlands - 50, 100 and 200 metres – forty to fifty kilometres per week is more than enough. You can get the most out of your training while not losing your edge. In other countries they’re now catching up to that approach. We were just one step ahead of them.”

At the Olympics in Sydney that advantage was the secret of their success. Not only the swimmers' performance peaked. “A trainer can also peak. Each training session hit target and the swimmers as well as I were so focussed that everything worked out. Take Pieter, for instance. His preparation was on track, but three weeks before the Olympics in Sydney I noticed he was too tired. He did reach his time limits. But I could tell by the way he moved it was taking a lot out of him. Eventhough it wasn’t conventional, I tapered him and focussed on quality. He was in shape exactly when he had to be. With Inge we just had to maintain her form. She was breaking world record after world record before the Olympics. If a trainer is in good shape, he will handle such opposite approaches well.”

Sometimes Verhaeren needs others to stay on edge. “Luckily I’m surrounded with people who can keep me on track after an important meet is over or when I’m less concentrated. Not only swimmers need that, a trainer needs it too.”

Qualities Verhaeren is acclaimed for are his down-to-earth approach and creativity. “Often you’re the only refuge athletes have. Everyone wants a piece of them. As a coach you need to be able to efface yourself. You’re a means for the athlete to reach a certain goal. You empathize, but that's where it ends. You shouldn’t be too creative. It has to be functional. Some trainers overdo it and want to make the training sessions fun. To me that doesn’t make sense. Swimmers don’t want extremes. My training is clearly structured with subtle variations. Each session is different, but just slightly. Athletes need structure. If a trainer comes up with something totally new, which could be a good thing sometimes, a lot of athletes won’t accept that, because they’ve never done it before. It’s too unfamiliar to them.”

Besides that, Verhaeren believes external specialists and technical developments are essential in modern swimming. “When you don’t get all the advice and information you need, because you think you know better, you loose the battle. There will always be things you overlook or don’t command. We were the first in The Netherlands to work with the technical analyses of fluid dynamics expert Wieger Mensonides. Also nutrition expert Joris Hermans, dryland trainer Luc van Agt and fysiologist Jan Olbrecht consult me in their fields of expertise. A trainer will of course always remain solely responsible. I decide how these analyses are translated into training programs.”

Verhaeren doesn’t mind sharing his expertise with other trainers. There are no secrets any more in swimming. “At training camps you can learn from each other, whether it’s about turning points or starts. Despite the commercialization we are a national team at major meets and not just the Philips swimming team.”

”It is important that the whole group performs well, with the much needed healthy competition within. Athletes only peak when they are in a comfortable environment. If they only see competitors around them, it doesn’t work. But of course I want my swimmers to beat everyone. But even then you can work together towards a certain performance level. I just have to make my swimmers faster. That’s my primary role.”

Quote Pieter van den Hoogenband: “Jacco and I are very much on the same page. He’s not just my trainer, but also one of my best friends. As a coach he dictates the rules, but outside the swimming pool we can talk about anything. We keep each other on edge, so we don’t get tired of each other. Besides that, I appreciate the fact that Jacco is incredibly impertinent. He firmly believes in his vision, but he also admits he doesn’t know it all. Jacco doesn’t hesitate to consult specialists and combine their visions with his, so he can gain more insight. Other coaches are more inclined to think they know best.”



Source: www.sport.nl


Also read other background articles related to Pieter van den Hoogenband:

- “You can work on mentality”

- Tom Dolan analyses Van den Hoogenband

- “Winning the gold three consecutive times will be a mission impossible”

- Finding new sponsors

Learn from the best!

Do you have aspirations to become an Olympic gold medalist yourself or are you just interested in how the hell Pieter van den Hoogenband gets to be so incredibly fast?

Then check out these amazing videos! Watch Pieter underwater in slow-motion swimming his 200 metre free style heat and his 200 metre gold race at Sydney 2000. Also, watch Pieter's finish at his 100 metre gold race in Sydney.

Also watch the legendary Aleksandr Popov in slow-motion at a training session and a free style race, as well as underwater videos of Ian Thorpe in training sessions and races.



Also see other sections with great links to photos, videos and audios from Pieter van den Hoogenband:

- Animation of venues for the 2008 Olympic Games: the National Swimming Center

- Photo Album added to this site

Van den Hoogenband is still savouring his victory

For four years, Pieter van den Hoogenband chased his Olympic dream. At the crucial moment, he succeeded in becoming the fastest swimmer in the world. In Athens he once again became the olympic champion at the major swimming event: the 100 metre free style. But that’s not the end of it. The real preparation for the world championship this summer in Montreal starts end of January. After the Olympics he kicked back and enjoyed every minute savouring his success.

Enjoying his success was Van den Hoogenband’s first priority after Athens. “Every day people still come up to me and congratulate me. That’s really great. As an athlete, you can only perform a limited number of years at this level. If you are successful, you should really enjoy that.” This month he will leave with his girlfriend Minouche and her parents for a vacation in South Africa before he resumes his training. In the wildlife parks of Africa he will surely reminisce those exciting couple of weeks in Athens. After his two gold medals at the Games in Sydney, he never won an international tournament again. Yet he wasn’t surprised he won the gold again in Greece at the 100 metre free style. “I was really confident. That’s why I announced before the Games that I would continue my swimming career, no matter what would happen in Athens. I still enjoyed it and I felt fit and strong. Everything was going fine.”

Gerard Kleisterlee, executive at Philips, reassured him just before the Olympics. “He called me before the Games and said: “We will continue sponsoring you.” Van den Hoogenband knew he was still the fastest swimmer in the world, despite his silver 'defeats' at the World Championships of 2001 and 2003. "I was the first male swimmer to ever swim the 100 metre free style faster than 48 seconds. I stayed the only one. Also, as from 1998 I ranked number one for one or more events. Numbers don’t lie, indeed. So I knew I had a good shot at the title.” And he had. After an astonishing race against Roland Schoeman from South Africa, Van den Hoogenband won the title by a split second. “It’s so hard to defend your title” he says. “I’m the only Dutch male swimmer who ever succeeded at doing that at such a major event. This was the ultimate moment. There are the Olympics, then there’s nothing for a long time, and then there are the World and European championships. It’s as simple as that.” In Beijing Van den Hoogenband could become the first swimmer ever to have won the gold medal at the 100 metre free style event three times in a row. The Olympics of 2008 will be his final destination. It wasn’t an option to finish his career sooner. “After my first Olympics in Atlanta, I quit for a year because of school. I also thought I was missing out on a lot of things. Well, it was nice for a while, but it just wasn't my life. I love sports and my sport is swimming. This is my life. I enjoy focussing on something, busting my ass off.”

Pieter van den Hoogenband’s drive is to push boundaries. He is confident he can beat his own world record, which he set in Sydney: 47.84 seconds. Up to now, no-one, except himself in 2002 (47.86), has even come close. “In Sydney I didn’t swim the most ideal race”, he claims. “I can go faster. I will study Schoeman’s start in Athens. He took off at an amazing speed. I have to find out how I can go faster.” His world record will be beat. “For sure! I don’t know when, but it will be beat. So I’d better do that myself first.” Perhaps this summer at the world championship in Montreal. Van den Hoogenband will then attempt to win his first world title. "So far I haven't performed as well as I could have at a world championship. But it’s not an obsession to win the world title", he assures.

Van den Hoogenband will definitely continue working with his trainer Jacco Verhaeren. “It’s unthinkable we would ever separate”, says Van den Hoogenband. “I learned a lot from all of my past trainers, but Jacco is the ideal trainer for me. He gave me the last push to the absolute international top. We started this together and we will finish it together.” Eventhough Verhaeren and Van den Hoogenband considered last year to train in Australia for a while, they have now postponed this. “Perhaps in 2007, six months prior to the World Championship in Melbourne, we will go there. That’s not a problem for me, I’d adapt. But for now I’m not going anywhere.”


Source: Brabants Dagblad and Zwemkroniek Online


Also read other interviews with Pieter van den Hoogenband:

- King of the swimming pool once again

- Pieter van den Hoogenband is not satisfied yet

”Three beautiful blond women as a source of inspiration” – By Pieter van den Hoogenband (column for AD)

One of the nicest aspects of the annual NOC*NSF Sportgala is that it’s some kind of reunion. Last week at the Amsterdam RAI I talked to three legendary Olympic champions. Three beautiful blond women who, without knowing it themselves, inspired me one way or the other.

Ada Kok was the first one I bumped into. I have a soft spot for this Olympic champion (butterfly) of 1968. Even when she’s walking around in the Spanish resort of Salou with her two daugthers, people recognize her. No-one remembers how she won the finals in Mexico City and that she beat the runner up by only one tenth of a second. But everyone remembers that she won the gold medal. She truly is an icon of swimming.

I know Ada really well. She managed my interests for years on behalf of Speedo. When I left that sponsor for Nike, we parted ways in good harmony. I have a tremendous respect for her and I love listening to her stories. When you’re sitting down with Ada, be sure to enjoy one anekdote after the other. I’ve always enjoyed her company.

A few steps from her, I ran into Ellen van Langen. I never told her, but she also contributed to my Olympic passion. My dad accompanied the Olympic team as their physician for the first time in 1992. At the 800 metre finals in Barcelona he was sitting close to the finish. He saw how Ellen sneaked in the ‘opening’ that suddenly fell and watched her beat everyone in a devastating final sprint. My dad was one of the Dutch supporters who celebrated her victory right there and then.

I was 14 and I absorbed all of his stories about Ellen and the Olympics of Barcelona. I decided I wanted to be at the Olympics one day. Four years later that dream already came true. However, whatever idea I had of the Olympics, nothing had prepared me for the cold reality of Atlanta. Only at the Olympics of Sydney I enjoyed it the way Ellen had in Barcelona. I kept track of her career and felt for her when she battled injury after injury.

Another few steps further, I came across Marianne Timmer. I once wrote in my column how I admire her dedication and persistance. I had never talked to her, however. When she won two gold medals at the 1998 Olympics in Nagano and also beat a world record, I was 20 years old. I watched her on TV. A beautiful down-to-earth Dutch girl. I almost fell in love with her.

I admire her for staying passionate about her sport despite many setbacks. It’s amazing she won the speed skating sprint world cup last season.

I talked to Ada, Ellen and Marianne within 20 metres from each other. This would only be possible at a unique evening like that. It were three very special encounters with three legendary athletes. Phenomenons who, like all Olympic champions, have gone where no-one has gone before, as Joop Alberda always claims.

Speaking of him… prior to the Sportgala I said goodbye to Joop, who was leaving as technical director of NOC*NSF. Joop has meant a lot to me in the past eight years. That’s why I gave him a nice PSV football shirt with the text: “Joop, thanks for everything”, a big number “1” and “Athens 2004". I hope to run into him - and Ada, Ellen and Marianne – many more times.


Also read other columns by Pieter:

- "During the season, eating is work to me"


Source: www.pietervandenhoogenband.nl

Welcome!

Hi everyone!

Welcome to this blog dedicated to the world's greatest swimmer: Pieter van den Hoogenband!

Forget Michael Phelps, let's not even consider Ian Thorpe... There's only one swimmer who ever beat the 48 second rate at the 100 metre free style and he's yet to be followed by his competitors. Yes, again: Pieter van den Hoogenband!

He was the first to de-throne the legendary Aleksandr Popov in 1999 at the European championship, when Pieter won the 100 metre, 50 metre and 200 metre free style, as well as the 50 metre butterfly. One year later at the Olympics of Sydney, Pieter won gold medals on the 100 metre and 200 metre free style. At the Olympics of Athens in 2004, Pieter became a living legend by again winning a gold medal at the 100 metre free style. An accomplishment only preceded by Aleksandr Popov and Johnny Weismuller.

Here you will find all the latest and greatest news on Pieter and translations of his columns, as well as photos and hot links.

This blog is just starting, so keep coming back for more updates!