Piet van der Kruk started out as an athlete, specializing in the shot put and discus throw. A four-time Dutch champion in the shot put (1964-5, 1967, 1969), Van der Kruk had begun lifting weights to gain muscle mass for the shot put. The sport soon became his main focus, winning five Dutch heavyweight titles (1964-5, 1967-9). His international highlight was participation in the 1968 Olympics, placing 9th. After his active career, he remained very active in sports in various administrative functions. At the local government of his home town Delft, he was head of the departement for the sports and leisure for twenty years. Van der Kruk also served as president of the Dutch federation for “strength sports” (which includes weightlifting) and at NeCeDo, a Dutch anti-doping agency. In addition, he served in various roles within the Dutch Sports Federation (NSF) and the National Olympic Committee. Publicly, he was better known as regular weightlifting commentator on the Dutch edition of Eurosport in the 1990s.
Netherlands