Yvonne Hijgenaar
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Yvonne Hijgenaar | |||||||||||||||||||||
Born |
Alkmaar, Netherlands | 15 May 1980|||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 67 kg (148 lb; 10.6 st)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||
Team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Discipline | Track | |||||||||||||||||||||
Role | Rider | |||||||||||||||||||||
Major wins | ||||||||||||||||||||||
National champion x12 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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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.
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)
- 2nd Sprint, 2007 Dutch National Track Championships, Alkmaar
- 1st 500 m time trial, 2007 Dutch National Track Championships, Alkmaar
- 2nd Keirin, 2007 Dutch National Track Championships, Alkmaar
- 2008
- 2nd Team Pursuit, 2007–2008 UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics, Copenhagen
- 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
- 2nd Sprint, 2009 Dutch National Track Championships, Alkmaar
- 2nd 500 m time trial, 2009 Dutch National Track Championships, Alkmaar
- 3rd Keirin, 2009 Dutch National Track Championships, Alkmaar
- 2010
- 3rd 2010 Dutch National Omnium Championships
- 2nd Sprint, 2010 Dutch National Track Championships, Apeldoorn
- 2nd 500 m time trial, 2010 Dutch National Track Championships, Apeldoorn
- 2nd Keirin, 2010 Dutch National Track Championships, Apeldoorn
- 2011
- 1st Sprint, 2011 Dutch National Track Championships, Apeldoorn
- 2nd 500 m time trial, 2011 Dutch National Track Championships, Apeldoorn
- 3rd Keirin, 2011 Dutch National Track Championships, Apeldoorn
- 2012
- 1st Sprint, 2012 Dutch National Track Championships, Apeldoorn
- 1st 500 m time trial, 2012 Dutch National Track Championships, Apeldoorn
- 3rd Keirin, 2012 Dutch National Track Championships, Apeldoorn
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Athlete Biography - HIJGENAAR Yvonne". Beijing Olympics official website. Archived from the original on 2008-09-09.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Sportief Alkmaar, October 2007