Nel van Vliet

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.[1][2] In 1973, she was inducted to the International Swimming Hall of Fame.[3]

Nel van Vliet
Nel van Vliet with her children in 1952
Personal information
Born17 January 1926
Hilversum, the Netherlands
Died4 January 2006 (aged 79)
Naarden, the Netherlands
Sport
SportSwimming
ClubHZC de Robben, Hilversum
CoachJan Stender
Medal record
Representing the  Netherlands
Olympic Games
1948 London 200 m breaststroke
European Championships
1947 Monte Carlo 200 m breaststroke

Biography

Nel van Vliet was born in Hilversum 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.[4]

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.[1][5]

  • Van Vliet and Stender at the 1947 European Championships
  • Van Vliet and Hannie Termeulen with a Monaco soldier at the 1947 European Championships
  • Van Vliet coaching in 1957

See also

References
  1. Nel van Vliet. sports-reference.com
  2. EUROPEAN SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS (WOMEN). gbrathletics.com
  3. NEL VAN VLIET (NED) 1973 Honor Swimmer. ishof.org
  4. Nel van Vliet. zwemmenindepolder.nl
  5. Zwemmen: Olympisch kampioene Van Vliet overleden. ad.nl. 5 June 2006 (Obituary in Dutch)


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