Irma Heijting-Schuhmacher facts for kids

Irma Schuhmacher in 1951
Quick facts for kids Personal information
Born	24 February 1925 Ginneken en Bavel, the Netherlands
Died	8 January 2014 (aged 88) Berkeley Vale, New South Wales, Australia
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Club	RDZ, Rotterdam
Coach	Ma Braun
Medal record Representing  Netherlands Olympic Games Silver 1952 Helsinki 4×100 m freestyle Bronze 1948 London 4×100 m freestyle European Championships Gold 1950 Vienna 100 m freestyle Gold 1950 Vienna 4×100 m relay Silver 1947 Monte Carlo 4×100 m relay Silver 1950 Vienna 400 m freestyle

Irma Heijting-Schuhmacher (born February 24, 1925 – died January 8, 2014) was an amazing freestyle swimmer from the Netherlands. She became famous for winning two medals at the Summer Olympics. After earning a bronze medal in the 4 × 100 meter freestyle relay in London in 1948, she went on to win a silver medal four years later in Helsinki, Finland, in the very same event. Irma also competed individually, finishing sixth in the 100 meter freestyle at both Olympic Games. She also won two gold and two silver medals at the 1947 and 1950 European Championships.

Irma Heijting-Schuhmacher: An Olympic Swimmer

Irma Schuhmacher was born in a place called Ginneken en Bavel in the Netherlands. She loved swimming from a young age and trained very hard. Her coach was a well-known person named Ma Braun. Irma swam for the RDZ club in Rotterdam. Her talent quickly made her one of the best freestyle swimmers in her country.

Medals at the Olympic Games

Irma competed in two Olympic Games during her career. These are huge international sports events where athletes from all over the world compete.

• 1948 London Olympics: At the London Olympics in 1948, Irma was part of the Dutch 4 × 100 meter freestyle relay team. This team worked together to win a bronze medal, which is a fantastic achievement!
• 1952 Helsinki Olympics: Four years later, at the Helsinki Olympics in 1952, Irma and her team did even better. They won the silver medal in the same 4 × 100 meter freestyle relay event.

Irma also swam in individual races at both Olympics. She finished sixth in the 100 meter freestyle event in both 1948 and 1952.

European Championship Success

Besides the Olympics, Irma also achieved great success at the European Championships.

• 1947 Monte Carlo: She won a silver medal in the 4 × 100 meter relay.
• 1950 Vienna: This was a very successful championship for Irma. She won two gold medals (in the 100 meter freestyle and the 4 × 100 meter relay) and another silver medal (in the 400 meter freestyle).

Life After Swimming

In 1950, Irma toured Australia with another swimmer, Geertje Wielema. While there, Irma met Johan Heijting. He was a Dutch specialist in animal husbandry (which means he worked with farm animals) and had recently moved to Australia.

Irma and Johan got married on March 22, 1952. Just one week after the 1952 Olympics, Irma Heijting-Schuhmacher moved to Australia. She joined her husband on his breeding farm near Brisbane. She lived the rest of her life in Australia, passing away on January 8, 2014, at the age of 88.