Nel van Vliet
Biographical information
| Roles | Competed in Olympic Games |
|---|---|
| Sex | Female |
| Full name | Petronella "Nel"•van Vliet (-Koudijs) |
| Used name | Nel•van Vliet |
| Born | 17 January 1926 in Hilversum, Noord-Holland (NED) |
| Died | 4 January 2006 in Naarden, Noord-Holland (NED) |
| Affiliations | De Robben, Hilversum (NED) |
| NOC |  Netherlands |
| Medals | OG |
| Gold | 1 |
| Silver | 0 |
| Bronze | 0 |
| Total | 1 |
Biography
Nel van Vliet only learned to swim at age sixteen, but turned out to be a natural talent: months later she won the Dutch national championships in the 200 m breaststroke. She kept on improving rapidly, and after the Second World War she improved the short-course world record on both breaststroke distances several times. Competing internationally turned out to be difficult, as she had not been registered with the Dutch authorities at birth. Her father had been to busy to so. To obtain a passport for his daughter, he needed to appear in court and pay a fine. Now officially recognized, Van Vliet won the 1947 European Championships in Monaco. At the 1948 Olympics, here main opponent appeared to be the only female butterfly swimmer, Éva Székely. However, the Hungarian departed too fast, and Van Vliet grabbed the gold medal. Shortly after returning home, that medal was stolen from her parent’s home. Only in 2004, she was awarded a replacement medal by Dutch IOC member Erica Terpstra, herself an Olympic swimmer. Van Vliet died a year later.
Results
| Games | Discipline (Sport) / Event | NOC / Team | Pos | Medal | As | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 Summer Olympics | Swimming (Aquatics) | NED |
Nel van Vliet | |||
| 200 metres Breaststroke, Women (Olympic) | 1 | Gold |
Special Notes
- Listed in Olympians Who Set a European Record in Long Course Swimming (100 m breaststroke – 29 July 1946 - 23 April 1950: 1:19.4 (29 July 1946; Aalst, BEL), 1:19.0 (1 August 1946; The Hague, NED), 1:18.2 (28 April 1947; Arnhem, NED); 200 m breaststroke – 17 August 1946 - 21 October 1950: 2:52.6 (17 August 1946; Bilthoven, NED), 2:51.9 (29 March 1947; Amsterdam, NED), 2:49.2 (20 July 1947; Hilversum, NED); 3×100 m medley relay – 14 December 1946 - 14 October 1950: 3:46.3 (14 December 1946; Amsterdam, NED), 3:42.4 (28 April 1947; Arnhem, NED))
- Listed in Olympians Who Set a World Record in Long Course Swimming (100 m breaststroke – 29 July 1946 - 23 April 1950: 1:19.4 (29 July 1946; Aalst, BEL), 1:19.0 (1 August 1946; Den Haag, NED), 1:18.2 (28 April 1947; Arnhem, NED); 200 m breaststroke – 17 August 1946 - 21 October 1950: 2:52.6 (17 August 1946; Bilthoven, NED), 2:51.9 (29 March 1947; Amsterdam, NED), 2:49.2 (20 July 1947; Hilversum, NED); 3×100 m medley relay – 14 December 1946 - 14 October 1950: 3:46.3 (14 December 1946; Amsterdam, NED), 3:42.4 (28 April 1947; Arnhem, NED))
- Listed in Olympians Who Won a Medal at the European Aquatics Championships (1–0–0 1947 Monte Carlo SWM gold: 200 m breaststroke)