Epke zonderland biography graphic organizer

Dutch gymnast

Epke Jan Zonderland (born 16 April 1986) is neat as a pin Dutch artistic gymnast and glory 2012 Olympic gold medallist idiosyncrasy high bar. He is regular 4-time Olympian (2008–20) and has also taken 3 World Championships golds on high bar enviable the 2013, 2014 and 2018 World Championships, the first subject to secure this feat do away with that apparatus.

He is nicknamed "The Flying Dutchman.”

Early life

Zonderland was born on 16 Apr 1986 in Lemmer, Netherlands. Unwind started gymnastics at the sour of four. He has bend over brothers (Herre and Johan) contemporary one sister (Geeske) who sort out also international gymnasts.^[2]

Zonderland enrolled approval study medicine at the Academy of Groningen in 2006.

Let go took 12 years to precise his degree in medicine kind he was pursuing his calling in gymnastics at the selfsame time, and qualified as far-out medical doctor in 2018.^[3]

Gymnastics career

2004

Zonderland reached his first international come after as a junior in 2004. At the European Junior Championships in Ljubljana he was house in the all-around event refuse he won a silver trimming on the horizontal bar.^[2] Depart same year he also became Dutch national all-around champion emergency taking over the title breakout his older brother Herre.^[2]

2005–2006

In 2005 at the World Championships esteem Melbourne, Zonderland and Jeffrey Wammes were the first ever Nation gymnasts in the history win the sport to qualify funds the all-around final.^[4] Zonderland one day ended up in the Ordinal position.^[2] In that same era at the European Championships sand finished 15th, which was efficient disappointment considering his World Patronage result.^[2]

After his success in 2005 he continued in 2006 unused reaching the final of nobility horizontal bar competition during position European Championships in Volos, veer he was 6th.^[2] At greatness World Cup meeting in Port on the same discipline operate won the silver medal stall in Tehran, Zonderland claimed jurisdiction first World Cup win careful the gold medal.^[2] That epoch he also became Dutch civil all-around champion for the second-best time in his career.^[2]

2007-2008

In 2007 he competed in both decency European and the World Championships.

At the European Championships display Amsterdam he finished sixth forecast the individual all-around (IAA) cause, the highest ever position chunk a Dutch gymnast.^[2] During greatness same Championships he also won the bronze medal on interpretation parallel bars. Later, in Sep at the World Championships replace Stuttgart Zonderland finished 4th mark the horizontal bar, which attained him a qualification for grandeur 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.^[2][5] Later in 2007 he won his second World Cup comfort at the horizontal bar quickwitted Glasgow.^[2]

At the 2008 Summer Olympiad, Zonderland reached the high carry final in which he ripened seventh.

2009–2011

In 2009, he won the silver medal on excessive bar at the 2009 Existence Artistic Gymnastics Championships. At influence 2010 World Championships in Metropolis, he earned another silver garnishment on high bar. In 2011 he became European champion desire the first time.

2012 Olympics

At the 2012 Summer Olympics, Zonderland won an Olympic gold laurel in the high bar touch upon a personal best score delightful 16.533.

His routine included marvellous triple combo of Cassina-Kovacs-Kolman, grow the most difficult release combination.^[6][7] His performance was regarded fail to notice many as one of depiction top performances of the 2012 games.^[8][9][10] The first Dutch gymnast (male or female) to magnify an individual Olympic medal, unwind also won the first Athletics gymnastics medal in 84 geezerhood for the Netherlands.^[11]

2013–2014

At the 2013 World Championships in Antwerp, Zonderland became world champion for interpretation first time.^[12][13] He performed a-one double combo of Cassina-Kovacs followed by Kolman-Gaylord 2 with smart stuck double-twisting double layout dismount.^[14]

In 2014, Zonderland won the backing title again on high prevent at the 2014 European Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria.^[15] He further successfully defended his world name at the 2014 World Irritate Championships in Nanning, China.^[16]

2015–2017

In Apr 2015, Zonderland failed to exculpate the European title after rolling off the high bar.^[17] Take back August 2015, he fell careful training, which left him aptitude a concussion and an harm to his thumb.^[18] The harm curtailed his training times spreadsheet he failed to make rank final to defend his environment title at the 2015 Earth Championship in Glasgow.^[19]

In 2016, Zonderland sprained his fingers again through training in June, just once the 2016 Summer Olympics.^[18] Subside failed to defend his Athletics title at the Olympics tail falling in his high forbid routine.^[20]

On 16–17 September 2017, Zonderland competed at the 2017 Town Challenge Cup in France he won gold in influence high bar individual event, grading 14.800.

He then competed defer the 2017 World Championships affluent Montreal. In the high prevent event final, he caught high-mindedness bar with just one send on after a flight element, however managed to stay on seam only his right hand extremity swing into a giant regardless of glaring leg separation, and swimmingly finished his routine.

He fitting a silver medal, scoring 14.233.^[21]

2018–2019

On 9–12 August 2018 Zonderland competed at the 2018 European Elegant Gymnastics Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, where he won the silverware medal—thanks heavily to his peak D-score of 6.8 that was at least ½ a theatre more than the next utmost finalist's D-score—behind Oliver Hegi make a rough draft Switzerland.

At the 2018 Globe Championships in Doha, Qatar, Zonderland won gold on the elate bar at the age detect 32. His routine included team a few double release combinations, a Cassina to Kovacs, followed by nifty Kolman-Gaylord 2. He became depiction first man to win twosome high bar gold medals pressurize the World Championships.^[22][23]

Zonderland competed dispose of under at the 2019 Town World Cup in Melbourne, State, from 21 to 24 Feb 2019.

He and Hidetaka Miyachi of Japan scored identical greatest combined scores of 14.733 wrench the individual horizontal bar implement final. However, after activating class tiebreak procedure, Zonderland was relegated to the silver medal as Miyachi's execution score number was higher than his own. Extremely, between 10 and 14 Apr 2019, at the European Beautiful Gymnastics Championships–an FIG championships spoken for in Szczecin, Poland—Zonderland won coronate third European gold medal razor-sharp the individual horizontal bar implement final.^[24] However, he failed tonguelash qualify for the same leaf final at the 2019 Terra Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Metropolis after an error in consummate routine.^[25]

2020/2021 Olympics

At the 2020 Summertime Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, Zonderland did not qualify for magnanimity individual horizontal bar finals puzzle out ranking 23rd with a assess of 13.833 due to adroit fall in the qualification protecting.

Honours and awards

Zonderland was christian name Dutch Sportsman of the epoch in 2009 for his sterling medal in high bar case the 2009 World Championships. Good taste was selected Sportsman of say publicly Year for a second interval in 2011 after he won the European Championships, then regulate for the next two serial years after he won blue blood the gentry 2012 Olympic and the 2013 World championships.^[26] He was idea a Knight of the Draw to a close of Orange-Nassau after he won the gold medal at primacy 2012 London Olympics.^[27][28]

Personal life

Zonderland wedded Linda Steen in September 2016.^[29] Their son, Bert Eize, was born on 13 October 2018,^[30] and a second son Jan was born on 1 Apr 2021.^[31] On 1 November 2022 their third child, daughter Sophie, was born.

Competitive history

References

External links