Yvonne Hijgenaar

Yvonne Hijgenaar
Personal information
Full name Yvonne Hijgenaar
Born 15 May 1980 (1980-05-15) (age 31)
Alkmaar, Netherlands
Height 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)[1]
Weight 67 kg (150 lb; 10.6 st)[1]
Team information
Discipline Track
Role Rider
Major wins
National champion x12
Infobox last updated on
31 March 2009

Yvonne Hijgenaar (born 15 May 1980 in Alkmaar) is a Dutch racing cyclist and former national speed skater.

Contents

Background

Hijgenaar is a former speed skater who for two years was in the Netherlands national team.[2] In 2001 she switched from skating to track cycling after finding she rode so much better than she skated that she could often ride by male riders in training.[2] When her former skating team-mates made technical advances better than she could, she stayed permanently in cycling.

"When I look at the number of national championships, world championships and an Olympic Games that I've ridden, I am happy with my choice," she said.[2]

Olympic Games

Hijgenaar represented the Netherlands at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens where she took part in the individual sprint as well as the 500 metres time trial. She did not impress in the individual sprint where she finished 11th. However, her 500 metres time trial time of 34.532 (52.125 km/h) brought her fifth.

In November 2007 she trained with the national team of Australia in preparation for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. "Track racing in the Netherlands is a small sport and we do not have a coaching team available for 12 months of the year as they do in Australia. If only we did." she said.[2]

2009 World Championships

Hijgenaar won her fourth World Championship medal on 28 March 2009, taking the bronze medal in the Omnium, the first time the competition had been included for women in the World Championships. She was on equal points with Tara Whitten of Canada but missed out on that medal despite winning the 200 m flying start time trial and 500 m time trial events in the omnium.

She has now set the London Olympics of 2012 as a possible end to her career.[2] If she fails to win a medal, she predicts she will stop.

Career highlights

2001
1st 500 m, Dutch National Track Championships
2nd Sprint, Dutch National Track Championships
2002
3rd European Championship, Track, 500 m, U23
1st 500 m, Dutch National Track Championships
1st Sprint, Dutch National Track Championships
2003
3rd Sydney, 500 m (AUS)
1st 500 m, Dutch National Track Championships
1st Keirin, Dutch National Track Championships
1st Sprint, Dutch National Track Championships
2004
1st 500 m, Dutch National Track Championships
1st Keirin, Dutch National Track Championships
1st Sprint, Dutch National Track Championships
3rd Moscow, 500 m (RUS)
3rd Moscow, Team Sprint (RUS)
1st Manchester, 500 m (GBR)
1st Sydney, 500 m (AUS)
2nd Athens Open Balkan Championship, Track, Sprint, Elite/U23 (GRE)
2nd Moscow, 500 m (RUS)
2005
3rd Los Angeles, 500 m (USA)
3rd Sydney, Sprint (AUS)
1st Sydney, 500 m (AUS)
3rd 500 m, Track World Championships
3rd Keirin, Track World Championships
2nd Manchester, 500 m (GBR)
1st Sprint, Dutch National Track Championships
1st 500 m, Dutch National Track Championships
1st Keirin, Dutch National Track Championships
2006
3rd Los Angeles, 500 m (USA)
1st Sydney, 500 m (AUS)
3rd Sydney, 500 m (AUS)
1st Moscow, Team Sprint (RUS)
2007
1st Los Angeles, Team Sprint (USA)
2nd Manchester, 500 m (GBR)
1st Manchester, Team Sprint (GBR)
2nd Team Sprint, Track World Championships
1st Sydney, Team Sprint (AUS)
1st Beijing, Team Sprint (CHN)
1st 500 m, Dutch National Track Championships
2nd Sprint, Dutch National Track Championships
2nd Keirin, Dutch National Track Championships
2008
1st Los Angeles, Team Sprint (USA)
2009
3rd Omnium, Track World Championships
2nd Team Sprint, 2009–2010 UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics, Manchester
2nd Team Sprint, 2009–2010 UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics, Melbourne
1st Team Sprint, 2009–2010 UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics, Cali

References

  1. ^ a b "Athlete Biography - HIJGENAAR Yvonne". Beijing Olympics official website. http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/BIO/Athlete/4/217864.shtml. 
  2. ^ a b c d e Sportief Alkmaar, October 2007

External links