Femke Heemskerk facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Femke Heemskerk

Femke Heemskerk in 2010
Personal information
Nickname(s)	"Femke"
Born	(1987-09-21) 21 September 1987 (age 37) Roelofarendsveen, Netherlands
Height	1.80 m
Weight	68 kg
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Freestyle, medley, backstroke
Club	Energy Standard
Coach	Philippe Lucas
Medal record Women's swimming Representing  Netherlands Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 1 1 0 World Championships (LC) 2 3 3 World Championships (SC) 7 8 3 European Aquatics Championships (LC) 3 11 4 European Short Course Championships (SC) 5 5 4 Total 18 28 14 Olympic Games Gold 2008 Beijing 4×100 m freestyle Silver 2012 London 4×100 m freestyle World Championships (LC) Gold 2009 Rome 4×100 m freestyle Gold 2011 Shanghai 4×100 m freestyle Silver 2015 Kazan 4×100 m freestyle Silver 2015 Kazan 4×100 m mixed freestyle Silver 2017 Budapest 4×100 m mixed freestyle Bronze 2007 Melbourne 4×100 m freestyle Bronze 2013 Barcelona 4×100 m freestyle Bronze 2017 Budapest 4×100 m freestyle World Championships (SC) Gold 2008 Manchester 4×100 m freestyle Gold 2008 Manchester 4×200 m freestyle Gold 2010 Dubai 4×100 m freestyle Gold 2014 Doha 100 m freestyle Gold 2014 Doha 4×50 m freestyle Gold 2014 Doha 4×100 m freestyle Gold 2014 Doha 4×200 m freestyle Silver 2008 Manchester 200 m freestyle Silver 2010 Dubai 100 m freestyle Silver 2018 Hangzhou 50 m freestyle Silver 2018 Hangzhou 100 m freestyle Silver 2018 Hangzhou 4×50 m freestyle Silver 2018 Hangzhou 4×100 m freestyle Silver 2018 Hangzhou 4×50 m mixed freestyle Silver 2018 Hangzhou 4×50 m mixed medley Bronze 2014 Doha 200 m freestyle Bronze 2018 Hangzhou 200 m freestyle Bronze 2018 Hangzhou 4×50 m medley European Aquatics Championships (LC) Gold 2008 Eindhoven 4×100 m freestyle Gold 2016 London 4×100 m freestyle Gold 2020 Budapest 100 m freestyle Silver 2014 Berlin 100 m freestyle Silver 2014 Berlin 4×100 m freestyle Silver 2014 Berlin 4×100 m mixed medley Silver 2016 London 200 m freestyle Silver 2018 Glasgow 100 m freestyle Silver 2018 Glasgow 200 m freestyle Silver 2018 Glasgow 4×100 m freestyle Silver 2018 Glasgow 4×100 m mixed freestyle Silver 2020 Budapest 4×100 m freestyle Silver 2020 Budapest 4×100 m mixed medley Silver 2020 Budapest 4×100 m mixed freestyle Bronze 2010 Budapest 100 m freestyle Bronze 2014 Berlin 200 m freestyle Bronze 2016 London 100 m freestyle Bronze 2016 London 4×200 m freestyle European Short Course Championships (SC) Gold 2010 Eindhoven 200 m freestyle Gold 2010 Eindhoven 4×50 m freestyle Gold 2017 Copenhagen 4×50 m freestyle Gold 2017 Copenhagen 4×50 m freestyle mixed Gold 2019 Glasgow 4×50 m freestyle Silver 2008 Rijeka 200 m freestyle Silver 2010 Eindhoven 100 m freestyle Silver 2015 Netanya 4×50 m freestyle Silver 2017 Copenhagen 200 m freestyle Silver 2019 Glasgow 4×50 m mixed medley Bronze 2009 Istanbul 200 m freestyle Bronze 2015 Netanya 200 m freestyle Bronze 2019 Glasgow 100 m freestyle Bronze 2019 Glasgow 200 m freestyle

Frederike Johanna Maria "Femke" Heemskerk is a famous swimmer from the Netherlands. She was born on September 21, 1987. Femke is known for her amazing skills in freestyle races. She is also very good at backstroke and medley events.

Femke has set many records as part of the Dutch swimming team. She holds the short course world record in the 4 × 50 meter freestyle relay. She also used to hold records in the 4 × 100 meter and 4 × 200 meter freestyle relays. These records were all set in Doha in 2014. She has broken national records in six different individual swimming events. Femke also swam for the Energy Standard team in the International Swimming League.

Femke Heemskerk's Swimming Journey

Starting Her Swimming Path

Femke Heemskerk first competed internationally at the 2005 World Aquatics Championships in Montreal. She swam in the early races for the 4 × 100 meter and 4 × 200 meter freestyle relays. She also took part in the 2006 European Aquatics Championships. In her individual races, she did not make it past the first rounds.

At the 2007 World Aquatics Championships, Femke won a bronze medal. This was for the 4 × 100 meter freestyle relay. She swam with teammates Inge Dekker, Ranomi Kromowidjojo, and Marleen Veldhuis. Later that year, at the 2007 European Short Course Swimming Championships, she made her first individual final. She finished 6th in the 100 meter freestyle.

Big Wins in 2008

In 2008, Femke was part of the 4 × 100 meter freestyle team that broke a world record at the 2008 European Aquatics Championships. This was the same team that won bronze the year before. They also finished fourth in the 4 × 200 meter freestyle relay.

The next month, she competed at the 2008 FINA Short Course World Championships. There, her team broke two more relay records. Femke also won her first individual medal, a silver, in the 200 meter freestyle. In June 2008, she set three new Dutch national records. These were for the 200 meter freestyle, 200 meter individual medley, and 100 meter backstroke.

Olympic Gold in Beijing 2008

Femke Heemskerk achieved her biggest dream at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. She won a gold medal with the 4 × 100 meter freestyle relay team. Her teammates were Inge Dekker, Ranomi Kromowidjojo, and Marleen Veldhuis. They finished with a time of 3:33.76.

After this amazing win, she also competed in the 200 meter individual medley. She also started the 4 × 200 meter freestyle and 4 × 100 meter medley relays. However, these teams did not make it to the finals.

More Success in 2011 and 2012

In 2011, Femke won another gold medal at the 2011 World Aquatics Championships. This was again for the 4 × 100 meter freestyle relay. She swam with Inge Dekker, Ranomi Kromowidjojo, and Marleen Veldhuis. Femke swam the last part of the race, and her speed helped the team win.

London Olympics 2012 Medal

At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Femke and her teammates won a silver medal. This was in the 4 × 100 meter freestyle relay. They were the defending champions, but Australia won the gold this time.

World Title in 2014

Femke Heemskerk won her first individual world title in 2014. This happened at the World Short Course Championships in Doha, Qatar. She won the 100 meter freestyle race. She also won three more gold medals in freestyle relay events. In one relay, she swam her part in just 50.58 seconds, which was the fastest time in the whole race.

Training Changes and Rio Olympics

After the 2015 World Aquatics Championships, Femke decided to move to France. She wanted to train with a new coach, Philippe Lucas. This was to improve her individual performance.

Femke qualified for her third Olympics, the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. She competed in the 100 meter and 200 meter freestyle races. She also swam in the 4 × 100 meter and 4 × 200 meter freestyle relays. The 4 × 100 meter freestyle relay team finished 4th. In the 200 meter freestyle, she placed 16th in the semifinals.

Recent Competitions

In March 2017, Femke competed in the Swim Cup The Hague. She won the 200 meter freestyle. She also came second in the 100 meter freestyle and third in the 50 meter freestyle. Later that month, she won the 100 meter freestyle at the KZNB Challenger in Dordrecht.

At the Swim Cup Eindhoven in April 2017, Femke won the 200 meter freestyle. This win helped her qualify for the 2017 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest. She also finished second in the 100 meter freestyle, which also qualified her for the championships.

International Swimming League

In 2019, Femke was part of the first-ever International Swimming League. She swam for the Energy Standard International Swim Club. Her team won the overall title in Las Vegas, Nevada, in December.

Her Best Swimming Times

See also

In Spanish: Femke Heemskerk para niños