Sport has been my life since I was six
Athletics gave me my foundation. A testing day gave me a new sport. This is how a track and field athlete from Heemskerk ended up racing down ice tracks for the Netherlands.
Built on the track
Since the age of six I have been involved in athletics — a sport that gave me countless opportunities, friendships and experiences, and an outlet where I could channel my energy and keep striving for improvement.
My journey was not always straightforward. Like many athletes I faced my share of injuries and setbacks. Those challenges taught me resilience, patience, and the importance of staying focused on long-term goals.
One testing day changed everything
In the autumn of 2025, several training partners kept telling me I should try bobsleigh. My physical profile was a little different from the average combined-events athlete: a bigger, more powerful build, but with the explosiveness and speed to perform at a high level.
Then, by coincidence, I came across an announcement on Instagram for a Dutch Bobsleigh Federation testing day. With no expectations, I decided to give it a try — and to my surprise I could immediately compete with athletes already active in the sport.
From push camp to Europa Cup
Shortly after the testing day the federation contacted me: they saw the physical profile of a bobsleigh athlete and invited me to a push camp. That camp led to a place on the Dutch Europa Cup team as a brakeman.
During the 2025/26 season — my first in the sport — I trained and competed at international level. What began as trying something new quickly became much more: I completely fell in love with the combination of speed, power, teamwork and technical precision.
Today I have made the decision to fully commit myself to bobsleigh. Athletics will always be part of who I am, but my focus is now on the exciting journey ahead.
From brakeman to pilot
As a brakeman my job was generating maximum speed at the start: explosive power, sprint speed and performing under pressure. The pilot's job is different — memorising every corner, anticipating before it happens, and steering within fractions of a second at speeds beyond 140 km/h. It's one of the biggest steps in the sport, requiring technical knowledge, track experience, leadership and years of development. That is the challenge I've chosen to embrace.
Destination: La Plagne
The 2030 Olympic Winter Games take place in the French Alps, with bobsleigh in La Plagne — one of the most iconic tracks in the sport. My plan runs there in three phases.
Begin pilot development, gain steering experience on international tracks, keep building physically and technically.
Establish myself as a competitive international pilot, compete at European and World Championship level, and build a strong Dutch team around me.
Qualify and compete as pilot for Team Netherlands — and along the way, make bobsleigh visible for a new generation of Dutch athletes.
More than an athlete
Physiotherapist in training
When I am not training or competing, I study Physiotherapy at Leiden University of Applied Sciences. Combining education with elite sport takes discipline and commitment, but it deepens my understanding of the human body, performance and recovery — and prepares a professional career alongside sport.
The two worlds feed each other. What I learn about anatomy, load and recovery helps me train smarter and stay injury-free — and what elite sport teaches me about discipline, setbacks and performing under pressure will one day make me a better physiotherapist.
Balance matters
In my free time I enjoy being with friends and family — board games, card games, or simply catching up. I also love being outdoors: going for a walk, exploring new places, recharging in nature — from the beach at home in Heemskerk to hiking high above the Norwegian fjords.
For me, success in sport is not only about performance but also about balance, staying connected to the people around me, and enjoying the journey along the way. The sled runs fastest when life around it is in order.
The athletics years
Before bobsleigh there was track and field: sprinting, jumping, throwing. Those years built the explosive engine I bring to the ice — and a love of training that never left.
Downtime with the team
A season on the road means long days at the track — and the best moments in between: coffee stops, shared meals and a group of teammates that starts to feel like family.
Seeing the world
The sport takes us from Heemskerk to Innsbruck, Winterberg and St. Moritz. Every trip is hard work — and at the same time a chance to discover new corners of Europe.