Marit van Eupen (born 26 September 1969 in

Arnhem Arnhem ( ; ; Central Dutch dialects, Ernems: ''Èrnem'') is a Cities of the Netherlands, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands, near the German border. It is the capita ...

) is a

rower Rowing, often called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars (called blades in the United Kingdom) are attached to the boat using rowlocks, while paddles are ...

from the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. Together with

Kirsten van der Kolk Kirsten Irene Merian van der Kolk (born 18 December 1975, in Haarlem) is a Rowing (sport), rower from the Netherlands.2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

where they finished in sixth position in the lightweight double sculls. Four years later they took part in the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

where they won the bronze medal. After those Olympics she was World Champion in 2005 (

Gifu is a Cities of Japan, city located in the south-central portion of Gifu Prefecture, Japan, and serves as the prefectural capital. The city has played an important role in Japan's history because of its location in the middle of the country. Durin ...

), 2006 ( Eton) and 2007 (

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

). in the Lightweight Single Sculls. In 2008 she and

Kirsten van der Kolk Kirsten Irene Merian van der Kolk (born 18 December 1975, in Haarlem) is a Rowing (sport), rower from the Netherlands.Rowing World Cup The World Rowing Cup is an international rowing competition organized by FISA (the International Rowing Federation). It began in 1997 and comprises three regattas (apart from in 2001 when there were four) held throughout early summer. In each ...

meeting in

Luzern Lucerne ( ) or Luzern ()Other languages: ; ; ; . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking portion of the country. Lucerne is the capital of the canton of Lucerne and part of the Lucerne (district), di ...

and they qualified for the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

where they won Gold. In 2006 van Eupen received the "Golden Oar", first awarded to

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 ...

in 1892. For three years in a row, between 2005 and 2008, she was given the Amsterdam Sportswoman of the year award. She retired from rowing in 2011.https://worldrowing.com/2011/12/07/era-ends-for-one-of-our-finest-rowers/

References

External links

* * * 1969 births Living people Dutch female rowers Rowers at the 2000 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 2004 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 2008 Summer Olympics Olympic rowers for the Netherlands Olympic gold medalists for the Netherlands Olympic bronze medalists for the Netherlands Sportspeople from Arnhem Rowers from Gelderland Olympic medalists in rowing Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics World Rowing Championships medalists for the Netherlands Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics 20th-century Dutch sportswomen 21st-century Dutch sportswomen {{Netherlands-rowing-bio-stub