Dutch Summer Olympics Gold Medal Winners Quiz

Answer: Sailing

This was very much a family affair. Cornelis was the father of Frans and Johan, and they participated in the 12 foot dinghy class. Cornelis took part in all the races accompanied by one or other of his sons. Interestingly, although the games were held in Antwerp, Belgium, with the sailing races at the port of Ostend, the medals were decided in the Netherlands.

The races in Belgium were abandoned and held later that year in the Netherlands since all the finalists were Dutch.

Answer: Boxing

Lambertus van Klaveren, to give him his proper name, competed in the featherweight division at his home games, held in Amsterdam in 1928. He defeated Argentinian Victor Peralta to win the gold medal. Following this success, van Klaveren turned professional and had a long career.

His younger brother, Pieter, more than twenty years younger, boxed at the Helsinki games in 1952 but was eliminated in the quarterfinals.

Answer: Athletics (track and field)

Fanny (Francina) Blankers-Koen was a multi-talented sportswoman, with swimming, tennis and gymnastics among her other interests. She was encouraged to concentrate on athletics to give her the best chance of international success and took part in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. World War II interrupted her international career, although she continued to take part in athletics, setting world records, even during the hostilities.

By 1948, she was aged thirty, married and with two children - at the time all of these were, to say the least, surprising and almost unheard of. Fanny was dubbed 'the flying housewife' and proved herself by winning four gold medals at the first post-war Olympics, held in London. Her successes came in the 100 metres, 200 metres, 80 metres hurdles and the 4 x 100 metres relay. Fanny's success did much to pave the way for women in elite sport and end, or maybe reduce is the better word, the belief that they should not compete at the highest level.

Answer: Judo

Known as Wim, Ruska actually won two gold medals at the Munich Olympics - in the heavyweight class and the Open class. He had previously won heavyweight gold medals at the World Championships in both 1967 and 1971 and several European titles. Ruska began judo while serving in the Dutch navy and then spent some time in Japan to extend his skills.

After Munich he retired from competitive judo and became a professional wrestler.

Answer: Hockey

Three names and 'several others' should have indicated that this was a team sport in which the Netherlands hockey team won gold. The games were held in Los Angeles in 1984, and the success of the women's team was the first time the Netherlands had won gold in hockey.

They defeated West Germany (as it still was back then) in the final. The Dutch women also won gold in 2008, 2012 and 2020 with the men's team also being successful, taking top spot in 1996 and 2000.

Answer: Mountain biking

1996 was the first year that mountain biking had been included in the Olympics, held in Atlanta that year, so Bart became the first man to win a gold medal in the event. He also competed in Athens in 2004 adding a bronze medal to his collection. The event is also known as cross-country racing to distinguish it from the events held on the road or track. Brentjens also competed in the Olympic Games held in 2000 and 2008 before retiring from competitive racing.

Answer: Swimming

Both Pieter and Inge took home two gold medals in 2000, from Sydney, and a further gold each in 2004, when the Olympics were in Athens. Pieter won the 100 metres and 200 metres freestyle events in 2000, beating home swimmer Ian Thorpe and the Russian Alexander Popov, while in 2004 he won the 100 metres freestyle. He also won two silvers in Athens and two bronzes in Sydney.

Inge won both the 50 metres and 100 metres freestyle and added another gold for the 100 metres butterfly in Sydney. She repeated her success in the 50 metres race with another gold in Athens, picking up silver in the 100 metres and bronze in the 100 metres butterfly. She was a member of the relay team which won silver in the 4 x 100 metres freestyle race.

Answer: Dressage (Individual)

Always known as Anky, although her first name is actually Theodora, van Grunsven won the gold medal in the individual dressage event at three successive Olympics. Her first win came in Sydney with her horse Bonfire, followed by Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008, with Salinero being the equine partner in each of these.

The Olympic medals are a small part of her collection, with numerous wins at the World Cup and European Cups adding to her tally, with two World Championships as well.

Answer: Cycling (road)

Marianne is very much an all rounder in cycling, having achieved success on the road, in cyclo-cross and on the track, in the velodrome. Her gold medal at the London Olympics came on the road in July 2012, in pouring rain (summer in the UK!) when she defeated home favourite Lizzie Armitstead narrowly. Vos had also won a gold medal in Beijing four years earlier, this time on the track when she won the points race over a distance of 25 km.

Answer: Gymnastics

Sanne is primarily a specialist on the balance beam and uneven bars, and it was in the balance beam that she won gold in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. This made her the first Dutch woman to become an Olympic champion in an individual gymnastics event. Sanne also became European champion in the same event two years later in Glasgow.

A particular turn on the balance beam is called a Wevers as Sanne was the first to perform it.