Epke Zonderland facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Epke Zonderland
Zonderland in 2012 after winning his London Olympics gold medal
Personal information
Full name	Epke Jan Zonderland
Nickname(s)	The Flying Dutchman The Lion of Lemmer Epic Zonderland Epke Wonderland
Country represented	Netherlands
Born	(1986-04-16) 16 April 1986 (age 39) Lemmer, Netherlands
Height	173 cm (5 ft 8 in)
Discipline	Men's artistic gymnastics
Club	TSH Heerenveen
Eponymous skills	Zonderland (Parallel Bars): Swing forward with 5/4 twist on one arm through handstand and Healy to support with difficulty assignment of F (0.6)
Medal record Olympic Games Gold 2012 London Horizontal Bar World Championships Gold 2013 Antwerp Horizontal Bar Gold 2014 Nanning Horizontal Bar Gold 2018 Doha Horizontal Bar Silver 2009 London Horizontal Bar Silver 2010 Rotterdam Horizontal Bar Silver 2017 Montreal Horizontal Bar World Cup Final Gold 2008 Madrid Horizontal Bar European Championships Gold 2011 Berlin Horizontal Bar Gold 2014 Sofia Horizontal Bar Gold 2019 Szczecin Horizontal Bar Silver 2010 Birmingham Horizontal Bar Silver 2011 Berlin Parallel Bars Silver 2018 Glasgow Horizontal Bar Bronze 2007 Amsterdam Parallel Bars Bronze 2014 Sofia Parallel Bars

Epke Jan Zonderland (born April 16, 1986) is a famous Dutch gymnast. He is best known for winning the gold medal on the high bar at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Epke is often called "The Flying Dutchman" because of his amazing moves on the high bar. He has competed in four Olympic Games (from 2008 to 2020). He also won three gold medals at the World Championships on the high bar. He was the first gymnast ever to achieve this on that specific equipment.

Early Life and Education

Epke Zonderland was born in Lemmer, Netherlands. He started gymnastics when he was just four years old. His two brothers, Herre and Johan, and his sister, Geeske, are also gymnasts who have competed internationally.

In 2006, Epke began studying medicine at the University of Groningen. It took him 12 years to finish his degree because he was also busy with his gymnastics career. He officially became a medical doctor in 2018.

Gymnastics Journey

Starting Strong as a Junior

Epke first gained international attention as a junior gymnast in 2004. At the European Junior Championships in Ljubljana, he placed fourth in the all-around competition. He also won a silver medal on the horizontal bar. That same year, he became the Dutch national all-around champion. He took the title from his older brother, Herre.

Early Success in Senior Competitions

In 2005, Epke and another Dutch gymnast, Jeffrey Wammes, made history. They were the first Dutch gymnasts to reach the all-around final at the World Championships in Melbourne. Epke finished in 11th place.

He continued his success in 2006. He reached the horizontal bar final at the European Championships in Volos, finishing sixth. He also won a silver medal at a World Cup event in Glasgow. Later, in Tehran, Epke won his first World Cup gold medal. He also became the Dutch national all-around champion for the second time.

Olympic Qualification and First Medals

In 2007, Epke competed in both the European and World Championships. At the European Championships in Amsterdam, he achieved the highest-ever position for a Dutch gymnast in the individual all-around event, finishing sixth. He also won a bronze medal on the parallel bars.

Later that year, at the World Championships in Stuttgart, Epke finished fourth on the horizontal bar. This result earned him a spot at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. He also won his second World Cup event on the horizontal bar in Glasgow. At the 2008 Olympics, he reached the high bar final and finished seventh.

World and European Medals

From 2009 to 2011, Epke continued to shine. In 2009, he won a silver medal on the high bar at the World Championships. He earned another silver medal on the high bar at the 2010 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam. In 2011, he became a European champion for the first time.

Olympic Gold in 2012

At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Epke Zonderland won an Olympic gold medal on the high bar. He achieved his personal best score of 16.533. His routine included a very difficult combination of moves: a Cassina, a Kovacs, and a Kolman. Many people considered his performance one of the best at the 2012 Games. He was the first Dutch gymnast to win an individual Olympic medal. It was also the first Olympic gymnastics medal for the Netherlands in 84 years!

World Champion Again

In 2013, at the World Championships in Antwerp, Epke became a world champion for the first time. He performed another amazing routine with difficult combinations.

In 2014, Epke won the high bar title again at the European Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria. He also successfully defended his world title at the World Gymnastics Championships in Nanning, China.

Epke Zonderland at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Challenges and Comebacks

In April 2015, Epke had a fall and could not defend his European title. In August 2015, he got a concussion and hurt his thumb during training. These injuries affected his training, and he did not make it to the final to defend his world title at the 2015 World Championships in Glasgow.

In 2016, he sprained his fingers again just before the 2016 Summer Olympics. He was unable to defend his Olympic title after falling during his high bar routine.

However, Epke made a strong comeback in 2017. He won gold on the high bar at the Paris Challenge Cup in France. At the 2017 World Championships in Montreal, he had a moment where he caught the bar with only one hand after a difficult move. But he managed to stay on and finish his routine, earning a silver medal.

More World and European Titles

In August 2018, Epke competed at the European Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. He won the silver medal, thanks to his very high difficulty score. At the 2018 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Doha, Qatar, Epke won gold on the high bar at 32 years old. His routine included two double release combinations. He became the first man to win three high bar gold medals at the World Championships.

In 2019, Epke competed at the Melbourne World Cup in Melbourne, Australia. He tied for the highest score on the horizontal bar but received a silver medal due to a tie-breaking rule. Between April 10 and 14, 2019, at the European Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Szczecin, Poland, Epke won his third European gold medal on the horizontal bar. However, he made an error in his routine at the 2019 World Championships and did not qualify for the final.

Tokyo Olympics 2020/2021

At the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, which took place in 2021, Epke did not qualify for the individual horizontal bar finals. He fell during the qualification rounds.

Awards and Recognition

Epke Zonderland being welcomed by the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in 2012

Epke Zonderland was named Dutch Sportsman of the year in 2009 for his silver medal at the World Championships. He won this award again in 2011 after becoming European champion. He then won it for two more years in a row after his Olympic win in 2012 and his World Championship win in 2013. In 2012, Epke was made a Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau. This was to honor his Olympic gold medal victory in London.

Personal Life

Epke Zonderland married Linda Steen in September 2016. They have three children. Their first son, Bert Eize, was born in October 2018. Their second son, Jan, was born in April 2021. Their daughter, Sophie, was born in November 2022.

Competitive History Highlights

Epke Zonderland has competed in many events. Here are some of his top results:

Year	Event	Team	Men's Individual Events
			AA	FX	PH	SR	VT	PB	HB
2005
	European Championships		15
	World Championships	N/A	11
2006	Tehran World Cup
	European Championships								6
	Glasgow World Cup
2007
	European Championships		6
	World Championships								4
2008
	Olympic Games								7
	World Cup Final
2009	Cottbus World Cup
	European Championships								5
	Maribor World Cup
	Glasgow World Cup
	Moscow World Cup
	Doha World Cup
	World Championships	N/A
	Stuttgart World Cup
2010	Cottbus World Cup
	Doha World Cup
	European Championships
	World Championships
2011	Paris World Challenge Cup
	European Championships
	Moscow World Cup
	World Championships	19							5
2012	Olympic Test Event
	Cottbus World Challenge Cup
	Maribor World Challenge Cup
	Ghent World Challenge Cup
	Olympic Games
2013
	World Championships	N/A
2014	Doha World Challenge Cup
	Ljubljana World Challenge Cup
	European Championships
	World Championships	18
2015	Cottbus World Challenge Cup								4
	Ljubljana World Challenge Cup							7
	World Championships	11
2016	Olympic Test Event
	Olympic Games	10							7
2017	Varna World Challenge Cup							5
	Paris World Challenge Cup							7
	World Championships	N/A
2018	Koper World Challenge Cup								4
	European Championships	R1
	World Championships	8
	Cottbus World Cup
2019	Melbourne World Cup
	Baku World Cup
	Doha World Cup								7
	European Championships
	World Championships	19
2020	Melbourne World Cup
	Baku World Cup								2
2021
	Olympic Games								23

See also

In Spanish: Epke Zonderland para niños