Rens Blom (; born 1 March 1977) is a Dutch retired

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

athlete who competed in the pole vault. He is the 2005 world champion and former Dutch record holder with personal bests of 5.81 m outdoor and 5.75 m indoor.

Life

Blom was born in

Munstergeleen Munstergeleen (; ) is a village in the Netherlands, Dutch province of Limburg (Netherlands), Limburg. It is located in the municipality of Sittard-Geleen, and it lies in the Western Mine Region (''Westelijke Mijnstreek'' in Dutch). History No on ...

. He achieved a vault of 5.75 as early as in 2000, but five years passed without much further progress. However, on 8 June 2004 in

Zaragoza Zaragoza (), traditionally known in English as Saragossa ( ), is the capital city of the province of Zaragoza and of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributaries, the ...

, he set the Dutch record with 5.81. In 2005, he consolidated his position by clearing 5.80 early in May. At the 2005 World Championships in Athletics, he once again achieved 5.80 and won the

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have b ...

. It was the first Dutch gold medal at a World Championship. In addition, Blom has won five national championships and four national indoor championships. The year 2006 turned out to be a frustrating year for Blom, full of bad luck and injuries. Problems with his shoulder, knees and Achilles tendons resulting in an operation caused 2006 to become a "lost" year for the passionate Dutchman. Finally, in mid-October, he cautiously resumed his training programme, and achieved better results in several indoor events at the start of 2007. Blom is a two-time Olympian. At the

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 ...

he did not survive the qualification round. Four years later during 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 ...

, he ended up on the 9th place. At a press conference in Sittard on 26 September 2008, Blom announced his retirement from the sport, feeling that, after various injuries and operations, his body no longer allowed him to strain it to the utmost. During his career Rens Blom collected six Dutch indoor and seven Dutch outdoor titles altogether. He returned to the sport in the 2013 season.

Competition record

External links

Official homepage
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Blom, Rens 1977 births Living people Dutch male pole vaulters Dutch Athletics Championships winners Dutch Indoor Athletics Championships winners Olympic athletes for the Netherlands Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics People from Sittard-Geleen World Athletics Championships medalists World Athletics Championships athletes for the Netherlands World Athletics Championships winners 20th-century Dutch people Athletes from Limburg (Netherlands) 21st-century Dutch sportsmen 20th-century Dutch sportsmen