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Inge de Bruijn
Inge de Bruijn en Jacco Verhaeren 1a.jpg
De Bruijn in 2008
Personal information
Born (1973-08-24) 24 August 1973 (age 51)
Barendrecht, Netherlands
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight 62 kg (137 lb; 9 st 11 lb)
Sport
Sport Swimming
Strokes Freestyle, butterfly
Medal record
Women's swimming
Representing the Netherlands
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 4 2 2
World Championships (LC) 5 0 1
World Championships (SC) 1 1 1
European Championships (LC) 3 2 3
European Championships (SC) 5 3 3
Olympic Games
Olympic rings.svg
Gold 2000 Sydney 50 m freestyle
Gold 2000 Sydney 100 m freestyle
Gold 2000 Sydney 100 m butterfly
Gold 2004 Athens 50 m freestyle
Silver 2000 Sydney 4×100 m freestyle
Silver 2004 Athens 100 m freestyle
Bronze 2004 Athens 100 m butterfly
Bronze 2004 Athens 4×100 m freestyle
World Championships (LC)
Gold 2001 Fukuoka 50 m freestyle
Gold 2001 Fukuoka 100 m freestyle
Gold 2001 Fukuoka 50 m butterfly
Gold 2003 Barcelona 50 m freestyle
Gold 2003 Barcelona 50 m butterfly
Bronze 1991 Perth 4×100 m freestyle
World Championships (SC)
Gold 1999 Hong Kong 50 m freestyle
Silver 1999 Hong Kong 4×100 m freestyle
Bronze 1999 Hong Kong 50 m butterfly
European Championships (LC)
Gold 1991 Athens 4×100 m freestyle
Gold 1999 Istanbul 50 m freestyle
Gold 1999 Istanbul 100 m butterfly
Silver 1991 Athens 100 m butterfly
Silver 1999 Istanbul 100 m freestyle
Bronze 1991 Athens 50 m freestyle
Bronze 1991 Athens 4×100 m medley
Bronze 1993 Sheffield 50 m freestyle
European Championships (SC)
Gold 1991 Gelsenkirchen 50 m butterfly
Gold 1998 Sheffield 50 m freestyle
Gold 1998 Sheffield 50 m butterfly
Gold 2001 Antwerp 50 m freestyle
Gold 2001 Antwerp 100 m freestyle
Silver 1992 Espoo 50 m butterfly
Silver 1998 Sheffield 4×50 m freestyle
Silver 2001 Antwerp 4×50 m freestyle
Bronze 1998 Sheffield 100 m butterfly
Bronze 1998 Sheffield 4×50 m medley
Bronze 2001 Antwerp 4×50 m medley

Inge de Bruijn (born August 24, 1973) is a famous former competitive swimmer from the Netherlands. She won four gold medals at the Olympics and used to hold many world records.

About Inge

Inge de Bruijn was born in a town called Barendrecht in the Netherlands. Her brother, Matthijs de Bruijn, is also a talented athlete who played water polo in the Olympics.

Inge's Swimming Journey

Before becoming a swimming superstar, Inge de Bruijn tried out different sports. She started her international swimming career at the World Aquatics Championships in January 1991. There, she won a bronze medal as part of the 4×100 meter relay team. Later that year, her team won a gold medal at the European Championships.

In 1992, Inge made her first appearance at the Olympics. She finished 8th in both the 100 meter and 4×100 meter freestyle events. She did not compete in the 1996 Olympics.

Becoming "Invincible Inky"

In 1999, Inge won the 50 meter freestyle event at the European Championships. The next year, she set several new world records in the 50 meter freestyle. She then competed in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. It was an amazing performance!

Inge won three gold medals at the Sydney Olympics. She won the 50 meter freestyle, 100 meter freestyle, and 100 meter butterfly events. She even set new world records in all three races! She also won a silver medal with her team in the 4×100 meter freestyle relay. Because of her incredible success, people started calling her "Invincible Inky."

World Champion and Olympic Legend

Swimming World magazine recognized Inge as the "Female World Swimmer of the Year" in both 2000 and 2001. She continued her winning streak at the 2001 World Championships, where she won three more gold medals. In 2003, she successfully defended her 50 meter freestyle and butterfly titles at the World Championships.

At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Inge showed her strength again. She won another gold medal in the 50 meter freestyle. This made her the oldest individual champion in Olympic swimming history at that time. She also won a silver medal in the 100 meter freestyle and two bronze medals: one in the 100 meter butterfly and another in the 4×100 meter relay.

Inge de Bruijn is one of the most successful Dutch Olympians ever. She has won a total of eight Olympic medals: four gold, two silver, and two bronze. She also holds a record for female swimmers with nine individual titles won at the Olympics and World Aquatics Championships combined. Only Katie Ledecky has won more.

In March 2007, Inge de Bruijn announced that she was retiring from competitive swimming.

After Swimming

After her swimming career, Inge de Bruijn lived in Eindhoven, Netherlands. She also spent some time training in Portland, Oregon, in the United States.

She became the face of a Dutch clothing brand called Sapph. She worked alongside kickboxer Remy Bonjasky, who was the face for the men's line of the brand.

See also

  • List of members of the International Swimming Hall of Fame
  • List of Dutch records in swimming
  • List of multiple Olympic gold medalists at a single Games
  • List of multiple Olympic gold medalists
  • List of multiple Summer Olympic medalists
  • List of top Olympic gold medalists in swimming
  • List of individual gold medalists in swimming at the Olympics and World Aquatics Championships (women)
  • World record progression 50 metres freestyle
  • World record progression 100 metres freestyle
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