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July 2024: It’s really enjoyable to follow the Olympic Games and cheer for all the athletes of TeamNL (and some of my favorite foreigners). Let’s hope everyone is able to give their best and comes home with great experiences. Only 1 month till the start of the Paralympic Games!


July 2024: The feeling that the Paralympic Games are getting closer is increasing. We picked up our clothing package this month and had the team presentation from TeamNL. We’ll keep training hard and then go to Belek (Turkey) in August for the final preparations.


June 2024: We are now in a period where we swim a lot of kilometers to get a good endurance. In the past month we swam 2 competitions where we could not expect personal best times due to the many kilometers.


April 2024: The European Championships went so well! Coming back with 6 gold and 1 bronze medal is really bizarre. I really surprised myself in some races with the times I swam considering we are just over halfway through the season. In addition to all the medals, I also swam a World Record in the 200m Individual Medley and a European Record in the 400m Freestyle. Now it’s time to enjoy a short holiday and then focus completely on Paris!


April 2024: The EQM was the last opportunity for our team to qualify for the Paralympic Games in Paris. Luckily I didn’t have this stress because I already qualified for all my events. Fortunately, a number of teammates did qualify, so we are now going to Paris with 6 men and 4 women! But first the European Championships at the end of the month.


February 2024: We spent 2 weeks on a trainingcamp in Belek (Turkey). These weeks were all about swimming a lot of kilometers. On a training camp it’s always a bit easier to do because you don’t have to worry about getting groceries and other appointments, for example. This means we have more energy that we can put back into training.


January 2024: The first competition of the year is the World Series in Aberdeen (Scotland). This is the 2nd and last chance for us to qualify for the European Championships in April. I had already qualified myself for 5 events during the RQM and wanted to add 2 more. The competition is quite early in the new year, after 3 weeks of training you cannot expect personal best times. I swam well and entered the plane back home with 5 gold, 2 silver medals and the 2 extra events.


December 2023: A successful Dutch  Short Course Championships! I swam 10 events, 10 finals, 10 gold medals, 9 Dutch Records, 8 World Records and 1 broken finger…. During the last final session I broke my finger while finishing at distance 2 of 4. Fortunately, we have 1.5 weeks off during Christmas and New Year, so luckily I don’t miss too many training sessions.


December 2023: The RQM is over again! This was the first qualifying moment for the European Championships and the Paralympic Games. I am very happy with the results as I swam as fast at almost all distances as I did at the last World Championships. I have already swam all the standards for the Paralympic Games, as the World Championships were retroactively a qualifying event. I have now qualified for 5 events for the European Championships. I hope to swim the other 2 qualifying standards in Aberdeen (Scotland) in February.


November 2023: It has been announced that the European Championships will be held in Madeira from April 21 to 28, 2024. I have good memories of my last visit 🙂


September 2023: We started training again this month. The months of September and October are all about a lot of volume in order to create good basic content for this season. As a team we went to Paris for 3 days to experience the atmosphere and see how things are going with the Paralympic Village, where the swimming pool will be located, etc. A very nice weekend which makes it even more fun.


August 2023: The World Championships are over, but afterwards I can only be satisfied. I had hoped for slightly faster times and better results, but I am very happy that I was able to perform so well with 3 months of training. I finished the World Championship with 2x gold, 3x silver and 1x bronze. Now enjoy my holiday and on to (hopefully) a very nice Paralympic year!


July 2023: The World Championships starts on July 31 and we will be on a training camp in Turkey to prepare ourselves optimally.


June 2023: Things are getting a lot better every week. I can continue for longer and longer stretches without my arm cramping. During the National Championships I swam a lot faster than in Berlin. This was the last competition before the World Championships, so it is a nice feeling that things are getting better.


May 2023: I can finally swim again! My wrist no longer bothers me at all and I was immediately allowed to go to Berlin for a competition. The times weren’t close to my PB’s, but I’m happy to be able to swim pain-free again. Now the goal is to regain muscle strength as quickly as possible and ensure that we can swim fast at the World Championships in Manchester in August.


April 2023: The pain in my wrist is not over yet, so we decided in consultation with the hand surgeon to take an extra 2 weeks of rest. Very unfortunate, but better rest a little longer than that we start too early and I continue to suffer.


April 2023: It’s official! I’m going to my 3rd World Championship swimming in Manchester in August. I qualified on 7 distances, so it will be another busy week 🙂

April 2023: A day before the EQM I went to the hand surgeon because my wrist was still bothering me a lot. The photos showed nothing, but the MRI showed that I broke my scaphoid bone. I can’t put any weight on him for the next few weeks and hope the pain will decrease soon. Unfortunately no EQM for me, but I’m here to support the rest of the team.


March 2023: The World Series are calling! This means that we have competitions for 2 weeks in a row. The first week we were in Lignano (Ita) and a week later in Sheffield (Eng). The races didn’t go quite as I had hoped/expected. In January I had an accident during a gym session that leads us to suspect that I have a bruised wrist. Racing didn’t go as planned because of that, but I’m glad I maximized what I can do these 2 weekends. For now lets hope that the pain in my wrist will decrease quickly so that I can give it my best in trainings again and blast during the EQM in Eindhoven in a few weeks.


January 2023: We are on a training camp to Lanzarote with the team for 2 weeks. Here we can get some extra vitamin D and lay a nice foundation for the coming period in the Spanish sun.


January 2023: NOC*NSF allowed me to go to Tokyo for a week for the Game Changer Project. This is a project in which NOC*NSF wants to give something back to the city that organizes the Olympic and Paralympic Games. In Tokyo, the goal is to tell more about how people with disabilities can participate in society and to show that they can also exercise. A very nice initiative and I am very happy that I can contribute to this. I had an amazing week in which I learned a lot and am grateful to be able to give something back to the people of Japan for organizing the Paralympic Games.


December 2022: During the ONK Korte Baan in The Hague I had a nice swim again. Unfortunately, the last final session could not take place due to the code orange that was issued due to the weather, but safety first. Now refuel and enjoy the family during the holidays. You can find the results off the NK here.


December 2022: During the RQM I swam 5 qualification times for the World Championships in Manchester. At the end I didn’t feel completely fit anymore, but luckily I still reached the qualification times. In 2 weeks we still have the NK Short Course and then a well deserved nice holiday. You can find the results of the RQM here.


November 2022: We swam in Poland at the Polish Open. A nice race, but I was a little less satisfied with the result. Now to make a good plan again how we will make sure that things will go well at the RQM in 4 weeks time.


October 2022: We went on a training internship to Belek for 2 weeks. Here we could train hard and take nice steps in the Turkish sun.


September 2022: We had a nice trip to Stockholm because we had a week’s holiday. Now full training again towards the RQM in December.


July 2022: After 4 wonderful weeks of vacation, we started training again. We start the season with a ‘summer tour’ in which we will give clinics at 6 different locations. This schedule can be found on the website of the KNZB.


June 2022: What a World Cup this was! Made the choice during the qualifying moments to try to swim all limits and later see if this fits into the program. Then decided to swim them all and finish the World Cup with 5x gold and 2x silver! I don’t think I can ever top this.


May 2022: On May 29th, we flew to Portugal to finish our pre-camp in Rio Maior. After 1.5 weeks we’ll fly from Rio Maior to Madeira where the real work can begin!

April 2022: The first 2 weekends of April were all about World Championships qualification. This would be the last possibilities to qualify for the worlds. The first week of April we had a competition in Berlin and the second week in Eindhoven. From the 7 possible qualifying times for the World Championships I had already swam 4 in December. I immediately swam the other 3 in Berlin, which means that I will swim 7 (!) distances during the World Championships on Madeira. A busy program, but one I’m really looking forward to.

March 2022: At the beginning of the month we had a race in Lignano where we raced against competitors for the first time since the Paralympic Games. It was nice to be able to race again and a nice race just before qualifying moments in April.

January 2022: We were able to train on Curaçao for 3 wonderful weeks and this was so good! Despite the hard training I was also being able to enjoy the beautiful weather a bit.

December 2021: The World Championships Qualifying Moment went well! I swam 4 limits and I have 2 more chances to swim extra limits in April. the results can be found here.

December 2021: From December 3rd till December 5th the ONK Korte Baan was organized in The Hague. Here I swam well again with 5 world records at 5 distances. This promises something for the World Championships qualifying moment in 2 weeks!

November 2021: How cool!! I have been nominated for swimmer of the year! You can vote until November 24 via this link.

September 2021: What an experience! for the first time I went to the Paralympic Games and I come back with 3 gold medals!!! Those Japanese are such a beautiful and special people. I am very grateful for the help they have given us and in organizing the Games. The results can be found here.

June 2021: Thanks to JewelEar Gouda and Audiform I have super nice earplugs for swimming again. This allows me to keep giving everything in the water without ear infections! Photos of the earplugs can be found on Facebook.

In addition to earplugs, I also have new tap sticks. Thanks to the good help of Wout van Leeuwen I have good tap sticks again that I can take with me to Tokyo in the suitcase and thanks to Nijha I have beautiful orange balls for the tap sticks!

June 2021: From June 17-20 I swam the IDM in Berlin. Although I didn’t go every race as I had envisioned, I am still satisfied. Many learning points so that we can take with us to go even faster in Tokyo and…. finished with a World Record on the 200m individual medley!!

May 2021: The 3 weeks training camp in Rio Maior went well! The training camp was at the same time as the European Championships, which we did not participate in because we did not agree with the corona protocols. We raced in Rio Maior ourselves and I was able to take some nice points from this!

April 2021: TOKIO HERE I COME!!! I qualified for the Paralympic Games in Tokyo. After the EQM it was announced which swimmers will go to the Paralympic Games and I am one of them! I qualified for 5 events 🙂

March 2021: My heels are getting better and better! I can do more and train harder. At the beginning of April, the Eindhoven Qualification Meet (EQM) is scheduled, which is the last opportunity to swim limits before the Paralympic Games. Only after the EQM I will know for sure whether I will go to the Games.

February 2021: The training camp in Curacao went very well! I was able to train hard for 4 weeks and replenish my supply of vitamin D properly. Unfortunately I did bruise both heels badly during the last training, but luckily I can keep swimming!

December 2020: After the RQM we have been told that we will go on a training internship to Curacao for 4 weeks in January. I’m really looking forward to this already!

December 2020: The Rotterdam Qualification meet went very well! During this tournament I swam below the qualifying time on the 100m butterfly and with that the counter is now at 5 limits. You can find the results here

November 2020: Another official competition is on the schedule! From 3 to 6 December I will swim the Rotterdam Qualification Meet. During this competition we have the chance to qualify for next year’s Paralympic Games in Tokyo

August 2020: The measurement moment went very well! I swam 400m freestyle and 100m back crawl. I was 1 second above my time on both distances. I am very satisfied with this times since I was not able to train optimally because of my broken finger. Now I have a week holiday and then continue to train hard again for the next competition: ONK Lange Baan in Rotterdam in December.

June 2020: The protocols have been changed again 🙂 This means that we can now swim in a lane with several people, but as long as we can keep a distance of 1.5 m. Not much is known about our competition program yet. We have organized test matches ourselves where we can race against each other. In August we have a real ‘measurement moment’ in which we swim a competition well rested and can see how we are doing.

June 2020: I tapped wrong during training and broke my fingers because of it. Right now all I can do is kicking instead of the whole stroke, because the fracture in my fingers has to heal properly first. For now I have a splint for my finger and my fingers are taped together so there is less pressure on the broken one.

April 2020: We are able to swim again! The cabinet has indicated that professional  athletes are allowed to train again. We are allowed to train under strict conditions. For example, we now swim with 1 person per lane, and we have to start in different groups. It’s not ideal yet, but I’m super happy that we can train again!

March 2020: Sadly enough there has been decided that the Olympic and Paralympic will not take place this year, but that it has been postponed to 2021. This is of course a great pity, but health comes first. We will continue to train ‘just’ at home for the time being and we will make a good plan that will make us even stronger in 2021 so that we can swim even faster!

March 2020: NOC*NSF calls for all top sports facilities to be stopped immediately. This measure has been taken to ensure the health of top athletes due to the Coronavirus. As a result, we cannot train for the next 2 weeks, because all swimming pools are closed. This means that we now have to do 2 x mobility training, 1 x strength training and 2 x cycling on the exercise bike at home so that we can maintain our condition.

March 2020: At the end of the training camp in Rio Maior it was a bit restless for us. Due to the Coronavirus, the question was whether we could still train when we returned to the Netherlands after all the measures that had already been taken. In the end it was decided that we would go back, but in the Netherlands we would almost go into quarantine. We have a strict infection protocol that we must follow to prevent ourselves from becoming infected with the Coronavirus.

In addition to the decision to go back, the KNZB has also canceled Swim Cup The Hague and Swim Cup Eindhoven. This means that the last qualifying tournament will not take place. The KNZB is actively looking for a new qualifying moment. This can be during a tournament in the Netherlands, but also during a tournament abroad. So wait…

February 2020: Due to the Coronavirus, the Italian government has decided to cancel all sporting events in Northern Italy. This means that we will not go to the competition in Lignano, but that we will hold a training competition in Amersfoort. This race went well, my times were not valid because it was not an official race, but were around/below my best times.

We now fly directly from the Netherlands to Portugal for the 2 week training camp  in Rio Maior.

January 2020: The training internship in South Africa went well! We were able to train hard under the warm South African sun, 30-35 degrees. It was so hot for 2 days (39 degrees) that we had to come to the side during training to cool ourselves down with ice cubes. We trained alongside the Energy Standard team for 2 weeks, which includes top athletes such as Chad Le Clos, Sarah Sjöström and Florent Manaudou. Super cool !

December 2019: What a cool promotion! Spar Heerjansdam now sells apple pies with which you can sponsor me. From every apple pie that is sold, a part goes to me for sponsorship! This promotion runs until March.

December 2019: The plan was to swim on 3 events at the Swimcup Amsterdam, but we canceled the last day because I got too much headache. In the 100m breaststroke I swam below the qualifying time for the Paralympic Games, just like at the World Championships, and in the 50m butterfly I swam a European Record and equaled my Personal Best of S12.

December 2019: Unfortunately I am not among the last 3 for the title: Paralympic Athlete of the Year. I was told that I have been nominated for Sportsman van Zwijndrecht. I will find out in January whether I made it or not. Unfortunately I can’t be there myself, because I’m on a training camp in South Africa.

November 2019: WOW! I’m shortlisted to become Paralympic Athlete of the Year!! What an honor!

November 2019: After 6 weeks I started training again. The build-up will be careful, because I’m not supposed to get a headache again.

October 2019: I swam against the wall at the beginning of this month and suffered a concussion. I have to take it easy for now until I don’t feel any more pain.

September 2019: I AM WORLD CHAMPION!!!!!!! Don’t expect to ever be able to say this. At the World Championships I became 2x world champion in the 200m individual medley (in a World Record) and in the 400m freestyle (in a European Record). I also won 2 silver medals in the 100m backstroke and the 100m breaststroke.

August 2019: With 2 weeks to go until the start of the World Championships, I now have a training camp in Eindhoven. On September 5th I’ll fly to London and then a few more days before the World Championships finally starts!

July 2019: I have been told that I can swim 5 distances at the World Championships:
– 100m backstroke
– 100m breaststroke
– 200m individual medley
– 100m freestyle
– 400m freestyle

I can’t wait for the World Championships to start!

July 2019: 3 weeks on a training internship in Japan. Trained hard and walked around Tokyo for 2 days afterwards. In Tokyo we visited the Olympic village and the swimming pool.

June 2019: WORLD RECORD!! In Berlin, during the World Series from 6th to 9th of June, I swam a World Record in the 200m breaststroke. I also swam 2 European Records in the 400m freestyle and the 200m individual medley.

June 2019: I was approved in Berlin and will be in class S11 for the next 4 years. This means that I now have to swim all competitions with blinded goggles.

April 2019: I was classified in Glasgow. This went a bit messy, but it was then decided that I am in the S11 category for now. I have to be re-classify at the next international competition, because they didn’t quite get it right. This will probably be in Berlin in June.

April 2019: Yeah I can go to the World Championships!!! Despite the fact that I did not meet the limit on the 100m breaststroke, the national coach decided to take me along because of my current position in the world ranking (4th) and because of my progress in recent months.

April 2019: The IPC has announced, much later than planned, that this year’s Paraswimming World Championships will be held in London from 9 to 15 September. the tournament will be held in London’s Olympic Swimming Stadium.

January 2019: The IPC has announced that the World Championships will not be held in Malaysia this year because Malaysia cannot provide safety for all athletes. We are now looking at where the World Championships will be held. The IPC will announce this in February.

January 2019: At the end of January I will go on a training internship in South Africa for 3 weeks to be even stronger for the qualifying moment in April.

December 2018: I will transfer from the JCF selection to the HPC on January 1, 2019. This means that I will train even more in Amersfoort so that I can qualify for the World Championships in Malaysia.

September 2018: In response to my article in the AD, SBS6 contacted me and they filmed me in the run-up to the European Championships for the program ‘What is the result’. In this program they all follow people who are waiting for a result. This could be a hospital rash; a result of whether you are to a certain selection; a result if you ask someone to marry you for the 3rd time, or in my case the result of the European Championship. I was told today that the program will be broadcast on Tuesday, September 25 at 9:30 PM on SBS6

August 2018: What a month… Still enjoying everything about the European Championship. All the publicity that I never imagined and often tell the story of how I experienced it. The realization was not quite there at first, but with those medals in the house it will work! Have a nice holiday and recharge for the next goal: World Championship in Malaysia 2019

August 2018: 2 Bronze medals and a 4th place at my first European Championship. 1x bronze in the 400m freestyle and 1x bronze in the 200m medley. I was 4th in the 100n breaststroke

July 2018: Passed my HAVO Diploma!! Now starting in September at the Johan Cruyff Academy with the Sports Marketing course

June 2018: At the European Championships in Dublin I will also swim the 100m breaststroke!

April 2018: Purchased new tap sticks for international travel. Now they can fit in my suitcase.

April 2018: During the SwimCup The Hague and SwimCup Eindhoven I qualified for the 2018 European Paraswimming Championships in Dublin. This tournament will take place from 13 to 19 August. I can compete in the 400m Freestyle and 200m Medley. In the 100m Breaststroke I just missed the qualification time.

February 2018: New target on Talent Book started

October 2017: First Target Talent Book is complete

June 2017: Nice interview in the Sport-Active Magazine. You can read it under the heading Media.

March 2017: Started Talent Book for sponsorship. Just became TelesportTalent.