Willy den Ouden facts for kids
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nickname(s) | "Willy" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 1 January 1918 Rotterdam, Netherlands |
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| Died | 6 December 1997 (aged 79) Rotterdam, Netherlands |
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| Height | 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Swimming | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Strokes | Freestyle | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | RDZ, Rotterdam | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coach | Pee van Wuijckhuise | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Willy den Ouden (born Willemijntje den Ouden, 1918–1997) was an amazing swimmer from the Netherlands. She was known for her incredible speed in freestyle races. Willy held the world record for the 100-meter freestyle for almost 23 years! This was from 1933 until 1956, which is a very long time for a sports record.
Contents
Early Life and Olympic Debut
Willy den Ouden was born in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Her parents were Willemijntje Kuipers and Antonius Victor Jozephus den Ouden. Her father owned a café. At that time, Rotterdam was a big center for swimming in the Netherlands.
In 1931, when Willy was just 13 years old, she became a champion. She won the 100-meter freestyle race for her club, the Rotterdamsche Dames Zwemclub. She even broke the Dutch national record! Her time was 1 minute and 10.4 seconds.
Just a year later, Willy became famous around the world. She went to the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. There, she won two silver medals in swimming. She also broke the Olympic record for the 100-meter race during the early rounds. People were very impressed because she was only 14 years old. This made her the youngest person to compete in those Olympics!
Olympic and European Success
Four years later, Willy competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. Many people thought she would win the 100-meter freestyle race. However, she finished in fourth place in the final. Even so, she still won a gold medal! She was part of the women's 4 × 100-meter freestyle relay team. Her teammates were Tini Wagner, Rie Mastenbroek, and Jopie Selbach.
Between these two Olympic Games, Willy had even more success. At the 1934 European Aquatics Championships in Magdeburg, she won all three events she entered. In the 400-meter race, she tied with Rie Mastenbroek. She got a silver medal because she chose not to swim the race again to decide a single winner.
Breaking World Records
Willy den Ouden was a true record-breaker. On July 9, 1933, in Antwerp, she broke the world record for the 100-meter freestyle. The old record was held by Helene Madison. Willy set the new record at 1 minute and 6.0 seconds.
She kept getting faster! She improved her own record three more times. In April 1934, she swam it in 1 minute and 4.8 seconds. Then, on February 27, 1936, in Amsterdam, she reached her fastest time: 1 minute and 4.6 seconds. This amazing record lasted for 20 years! It was finally broken in 1956 by Dawn Fraser and Cocky Gastelaars. This means Willy held the world record for the most important swimming event for an incredible 22 years and 8 months!
Willy also broke many other world records. She set new records for:
- 200-meter freestyle (three times)
- 400-meter freestyle
- Other distances like 100 yards, 150 yards, 220 yards, 300 yards, 400 yards, 300 meters, and 500 meters freestyle.
She was also a key swimmer for the Dutch relay teams. These teams broke the 4 × 100-meter freestyle relay record in both 1934 and 1936. On February 4, 1934, she made history again. She became the first woman ever to swim 100 yards in under a minute (59.8 seconds). By 1935, she held all 10 world records for freestyle swimming up to 500 meters!
Life After Swimming
Willy den Ouden stopped competitive swimming in 1938. She was 20 years old at the time. Her last big win was a silver medal in the 4 × 100-meter freestyle relay at the European Championship.
After swimming, she wanted to become an actress. In 1939, she got a role in a Belgian movie called Van het een komt het ander (which means "One Thing Leads to Another"). But the movie production stopped because of World War II.
The war brought many challenges. Her family's home was destroyed in the bombing of Rotterdam in May 1940. Sadly, most of her medals and prizes were lost in the fire. Willy moved to England. In 1943, she married Staffan Broms. They moved to Saltsjöbaden in Sweden. After some time, Willy returned to Rotterdam in 1946.
Willy den Ouden lived a quiet life after her swimming career. In 1970, she was honored for her amazing achievements. She was added to the International Swimming Hall of Fame. She passed away in 1997 in Rotterdam.
See also
- List of members of the International Swimming Hall of Fame
- World record progression 100 metres freestyle
- World record progression 200 metres freestyle
- World record progression 400 metres freestyle
