The Most Famous

SWIMMERS from Netherlands

This page contains a list of the greatest Dutch Swimmers. The pantheon dataset contains 709 Swimmers, 38 of which were born in Netherlands. This makes Netherlands the birth place of the 12th most number of Swimmers behind Canada, and Japan.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Dutch Swimmers of all time. This list of famous Dutch Swimmers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Dutch Swimmers.

1. Rie Mastenbroek (1919 - 2003)

With an HPI of 62.64, Rie Mastenbroek is the most famous Dutch Swimmer. Her biography has been translated into 26 different languages on wikipedia.

Hendrika Wilhelmina "Rie" Mastenbroek (26 February 1919 – 6 November 2003) was a Dutch swimmer and a triple Olympic champion.

2. Willy den Ouden (1918 - 1997)

With an HPI of 57.46, Willy den Ouden is the 2nd most famous Dutch Swimmer. Her biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Willemijntje den Ouden (1 January 1918 – 6 December 1997) was a competitive swimmer from the Netherlands, who held the 100-meter freestyle world record for nearly 23 years, from 1933 to 1956.

3. Gérard Blitz (1901 - 1979)

With an HPI of 57.23, Gérard Blitz is the 3rd most famous Dutch Swimmer. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Gérard Blitz (1 August 1901 – 8 March 1979) was a Belgian Olympic swimmer and water polo player who competed at the 1920, 1924, 1928 and 1936 Olympics. He was the younger brother of Maurice Blitz, also a water polo player, and uncle of Gérard Blitz who founded Club Med in 1950.

4. Marie Braun (1911 - 1982)

With an HPI of 56.93, Marie Braun is the 4th most famous Dutch Swimmer. Her biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Maria "Marie" Johanna Philipsen-Braun (22 June 1911 – 23 June 1982), also known as Zus Braun, was a Dutch swimmer. She competed in the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam and in 1932 in Los Angeles, winning a gold medal in the 100 m backstroke and a silver in the 400 m freestyle in 1928. She failed to reach the finals of these events at the 1932 Games due to a sudden illness during the preliminary heats. During her career Braun set six world and 25 national records. Braun was the daughter of the prominent Dutch swimming coach Ma Braun. She had her first international success at the 1927 European Championships, where she won one gold (400 m freestyle) and two bronze medals (4 × 100 m freestyle and 100 m backstroke). She won gold medals in these events at the next European championships in 1931. After these wins and her medals at the 1928 Olympics, Braun was a favorite at the 1932 Olympics. However after swimming the 400 m heats she was hospitalized with a strong fever, and retired from swimming shortly after that. In 1980, she was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

5. Nida Senff (1920 - 1995)

With an HPI of 56.78, Nida Senff is the 5th most famous Dutch Swimmer. Her biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Dina Willemina Jacoba "Nida" Senff (3 April 1920 – 27 June 1995) was a backstroke swimmer from the Netherlands who won the 100 metres backstroke at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. She did so after missing a turning point, went back to push the wall, and still won the race. Senff won the Dutch title in the 100 metres backstroke in 1935 and 1937, and set five world records in 100 m, 150 yd and 200 m backstroke in 1936–1937. In 1983, she was inducted to the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

6. Tini Wagner (1919 - 2004)

With an HPI of 56.34, Tini Wagner is the 6th most famous Dutch Swimmer. Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Catharina "Tini" Wilhelmina Wagner (17 December 1919 – 2 June 2004) was a freestyle swimmer from the Netherlands, who represented her native country at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany. In 1936 she won the gold medal in the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay, alongside Willy den Ouden, Rie Mastenbroek and Jopie Selbach. In the 100 m freestyle competition she finished fifth and in the 400 m freestyle event she finished seventh.

7. Ada Kok (b. 1947)

With an HPI of 54.71, Ada Kok is the 7th most famous Dutch Swimmer. Her biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Aagje ("Ada") Kok (born 6 June 1947, in Amsterdam, North Holland) is a Dutch former swimmer who ranked among the world's best in the butterfly stroke category during the 1960s. Her international career started in 1962 when, at the age of fifteen, she took the European title in the 100 m butterfly in Leipzig. She was also part of the silver 4×100 m medley relay team. At the Tokyo Olympics two years later she finished second in both events. She was also good at freestyle swimming, which showed when she took second place in the 400 metres at the 1966 European Championships in Utrecht. In the same tournament she also won the 100 m butterfly and the 4×100 m relay. She achieved nine world records between 1963 and 1967 in the 100 m and 200 m (not introduced until later). Kok reached her peak at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. She won the gold medal in the 200 meter butterfly race in a time of 2:24.7, beating the East German Helga Lindner by 0.1 seconds. The 100 meter butterfly race in that Olympic Games ended in disappointment for her, when she did not feel well beforehand, and finished in fourth place.. Normally after a race there were always people around me. This time nobody. Nobody. I suddenly felt so abandoned and alone. Then under the shower I lost control and cried my eyes out.' For the 200 meter final, I was so stiff and rigid that I couldn't even see myself getting my tracksuit bottoms off. My fingers couldn't get the zipper undone. An official had to help me with it. I don't remember anything now of the first hundred metres. It's a black hole. Well anyway, after 150 meters I was in the lead. Twenty meters from the finish, I saw someone (Lindner) catching up with me. I thought, "Jesus, no, she is not getting past me." Fortunately, I was able to keep in front. In her memoirs written by Henk Lichtenveldt, she stated: Approaching the podium of honor I felt like I was walking on clouds. I had to contain myself because I wanted to rush over the stands skipping like a foal. This was the crowning moment in a great swimming career.

8. Nel van Vliet (1926 - 2006)

With an HPI of 54.13, Nel van Vliet is the 8th most famous Dutch Swimmer. Her biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Petronella "Nel" van Vliet (17 January 1926 – 4 January 2006) was a breaststroke swimmer from the Netherlands. She won gold medals in the 200 m breaststroke at the 1947 European Aquatics Championships and 1948 Summer Olympics. In 1973, she was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

9. Maria Vierdag (1905 - 2005)

With an HPI of 53.78, Maria Vierdag is the 9th most famous Dutch Swimmer. Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Maria "Rie" Vierdag (22 September 1905 – 17 July 2005) was a Dutch freestyle swimmer who competed at the 1924, 1928 and 1932 Summer Olympics. She won a silver medal in the 4×100 m relay in 1932, setting a European record, and finished sixth in 1924. She failed to reach the 100 m finals at all Games. Vierdag was a European champion in the 100 m in 1927 and in the 4×100 m relay in 1931. In 1927 she finished her 100 m race in the same time as Joyce Cooper, and an addition trial was arranged between them. Cooper was too tired to attend it, and Vierdag was announced as the winner. Nationally Vierdag set eight Dutch records, yet won only one national title, in the 100 m in 1929. In retirement she worked as a physical education teacher and physical therapist.

10. Pieter van den Hoogenband (b. 1978)

With an HPI of 52.61, Pieter van den Hoogenband is the 10th most famous Dutch Swimmer. His biography has been translated into 33 different languages.

Pieter Cornelis Martijn van den Hoogenband (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈpitər vɑn də(n) ˈɦoːɣə(m)ˌbɑnt]; born 14 March 1978) is a Dutch retired swimmer. He is a triple Olympic champion and former world record holder.

People

Pantheon has 38 people classified as Dutch swimmers born between 1901 and 2002. Of these 38, 29 (76.32%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Dutch swimmers include Ada Kok, Pieter van den Hoogenband, and Inge de Bruijn. The most famous deceased Dutch swimmers include Rie Mastenbroek, Willy den Ouden, and Gérard Blitz. As of April 2024, 38 new Dutch swimmers have been added to Pantheon including Rie Mastenbroek, Willy den Ouden, and Gérard Blitz.