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Pieter van den Hoogenband
Winning the 100- and 200-metre freestyle Olympic titles in Sydney and defending the 100-metre title in Athens.
Freestyle double · Sub-48 seconds
- Born
- 14 March 1978
- Birthplace
- Maastricht, Netherlands
More people
Pieter van den Hoogenband
Pieter van den Hoogenband was a Dutch freestyle swimmer who excelled in the sport’s fastest races. His victories over established favourites made the Sydney Olympics a defining moment of his career.
Early life
Sporting family
His mother was a competitive swimmer and his father worked as a sports doctor.
PSV training
Grew up in Geldrop and trained with PSV’s swimming programme.
Career
- 1996
Olympic debut
Reached both freestyle finals at the Atlanta Games.
- 1999
European breakthrough
Won six gold medals at the European Championships.
- 2000
Sydney champion
Established himself at the top of world freestyle swimming.
- 2008
Final Olympics
Retired after his fourth Olympic Games in Beijing.
Achievements
Freestyle double
Won Olympic gold in both the 100 and 200 metres.
Sub-48 seconds
Became the first man to swim the 100-metre freestyle in under 48 seconds in a 50-metre pool.
Title defence
Retained his Olympic 100-metre freestyle crown.
Beyond sport
Olympic leadership
Later served as chef de mission for the Dutch Olympic team.
Friendly rivalry
Maintained a friendship with Australian rival Ian Thorpe.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗International Swimming Hall of Fame ↗Photo: McSmit. CC BY-SA 3.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
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