Frits Evert Eijken (30 June 1893 – 6 June 1978) was a Dutch rower. He competed at the

1920 Summer Olympics The 1920 Summer Olympics (; ; ), officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad (; ; ) and commonly known as Antwerp 1920 (; Dutch language, Dutch and German language, German: ''Antwerpen 1920''), were an international multi-sport event held i ...

in the

single scull A single scull (or a scull), abbreviated as a 1x, is a racing shell designed for a single person who propels the boat with two oars, one in each hand. Racing boats (often called "shells") are long, narrow, and broadly semi-circular in cross-se ...

s, but failed to reach the final. In 1921, Eijken won the

Diamond Challenge Sculls The Diamond Challenge Sculls is a Rowing (sport), rowing event for men's single sculls at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. First run in 1844, it is open to male scullers from all eligible rowin ...

Henley Royal Regatta Henley Royal Regatta (or Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage) is a Rowing (sport), rowing event held annually on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. It was established on 26 March 1839. It diffe ...

beating Jack Beresford in the final. Following Eijken's victory,

Janus Ooms J.J.K (Janus) Ooms (15 Augustus 1866, in Amsterdam – 6 November 1924, in Amsterdam) was a Dutch rower who was the first non-Briton to win the Diamond Challenge Sculls at Henley Royal Regatta (in 1892). Ooms rowed for Neptune Rowing Club, Amste ...

passed on to him the "Golden Belt" he was awarded in 1892. Eijken, in turn, passed it on to the next Dutch Diamonds winner Bert Gunther in 1929.. nlroei.nl. 9 January 2006

References

1893 births 1978 deaths Dutch male rowers Olympic rowers for the Netherlands Rowers at the 1920 Summer Olympics Delft University of Technology alumni People from Batavia, Dutch East Indies European Rowing Championships medalists 20th-century Dutch sportsmen {{Netherlands-rowing-bio-stub