Petronella "Nel" van Vliet (17 January 1926 – 4 January 2006) was a

breaststroke Breaststroke is a human swimming, swimming style in which the swimmer is on their chest and the torso does not rotate. It is the most popular recreational style due to the swimmer's head being out of the water a large portion of the time, and ...

swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...

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 ...

. She won gold medals in the 200 m breaststroke at the

1947 European Aquatics Championships The 1947 LEN European Aquatics Championships were held 10–14 September 1947 in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Medal table Medal summary Diving ;Men's events ;Women's events Swimming ;Men's events ;Women's events Water polo See also *List of ...

and

1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and officially branded as London 1948, were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus cau ...

. In 1973, she was inducted into the

International Swimming Hall of Fame The International Swimming Hall of Fame and Museum (ISHOF) is a history museum and hall of fame, located at One Hall of Fame Drive, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States, operated by private interests and serving as the central point for the stu ...

Biography

Nel van Vliet was born in

Hilversum Hilversum () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Holland, Netherlands. Located in the heart of the Gooi, it is ...

and learned to swim only around the age of 16 (c. 1942), during World War II. In 1943, she became national champion in the 200 m breaststroke, her favorite discipline. She improved significantly after the end of the war, setting 13 world records in various breaststroke and medley relay events in 1946–1947, and winning national championships in 1946 and 1948. Her international career was hindered by that she was not registered with the Dutch authorities at birth. After this problem was rectified, she became European (1947) and Olympic (1948) champion in the 200 m breaststroke event. To win the 1948 Olympics, it was sufficient for her to swim eight seconds slower than her personal best time, that is, the world record. Van Vliet was the first top swimmer raised by the famous Dutch coach Jan Stender. After retiring from swimming she devoted her time to raising her three children. Her marriage lasted only five years, and to earn for the family she had to quit competitive swimming and start working as a swimming coach. Her Olympic gold medal was stolen from her home in 1948 and was reissued to her only in 2004. She died two years later from a cancer-related illness in

Naarden Naarden () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and former List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Gooi region in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Holland, Netherlands. It has been part ...

Gallery

Nel van Vliet and Jan Stender 1947.jpg, Van Vliet and Stender at the 1947 European Championships Nel van Vliet and Hannie Termeulen 1947.jpg, Van Vliet and Hannie Termeulen with a Monegasque soldier at the 1947 European Championships Nel van Vliet coaching in 1957.jpg, Van Vliet coaching in 1957

References

1926 births 2006 deaths Dutch female breaststroke swimmers World record setters in swimming Olympic gold medalists for the Netherlands Olympic swimmers for the Netherlands Swimmers at the 1948 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1948 Summer Olympics European Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming Sportspeople from Hilversum Swimmers from North Holland Olympic gold medalists in swimming 20th-century Dutch sportswomen {{Netherlands-swimming-bio-stub